The US Senate Wednesday advanced the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2021 (HR 3967) which will help veterans injured due to exposure to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The PACT Act plans to provide “health care, presumption of service-connection, research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who [...]

US President Joe Biden Wednesday signed an executive order which directs key federal agencies to advance LGBTQI+ equality and protect communities from hateful attacks. Biden’s executive order, which was signed during Pride Month, will combat historic anti-LGTBQI+ laws passed across the US. The executive order will address discriminatory legislative attacks, prevent conversion therapy, safeguard health [...]

Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan visited Kharkiv Thursday with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova to document evidence of war crimes. During his visit Khan called the area a “crime scene,” touring the places hardest hit by Russian bombings. Khan went on to tell reporters that, “we must make sure that the whole world sees that the [...]

The Toronto police chief Wednesday publicly apologized for the department’s use of force which disproportionately impacts communities of color. Police Chief James Ramer apologized for the pain caused by Toronto police using force and strip searches. Ramer said, “As an organization we have not done enough to ensure that every person in our city receives [...]

The man who shot US President Ronald Reagan in 1981 Wednesday received unconditional release in compliance with US District Court Judge Paul Friedman’s order earlier in June. In response to his unconditional release, John Hinckley wrote on social media “After 41 years 2 months and 15 days, FREEDOM AT LAST!!!” Judge Friedman earlier in June [...]

Turkish officials arrested and jailed 16 Kurdish journalists Thursday after detaining 21 journalists for eight days without charges. Five of the original 21 were released according to reports from the Mesopotamia News Agency (MNA). According to the Turkish Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) the 21 journalists were originally detained on suspicion of “terrorism.” Mehmet [...]

JURIST’s Belarus correspondent, whose identity must remain anonymous, is a student in the International Law and European Union Law program at the European Humanities University, Vilnius, Lithuania. The correspondent left Belarus in September 2021. The text of this dispatch has been lightly edited to preserve the author’s voice. The Russian war against Ukraine has lasted [...]

The European Commission Wednesday initiated two new legal proceedings against the UK after the UK announced plans to override post-Brexit rules governing trade with Northern Ireland. The conflict arose over UK-initiated changes to post-Brexit trade deals with the EU. The conflict arose during negotiations between the UK and the EU in Brexit. The Protocol on [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Wednesday issued an opinion in which the Court held “that the COVID-19 pandemic is not a natural disaster under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act)” and that employers are not allowed to initiate mass layoffs without notice due to pandemics. Oil producers hired [...]

The Special Tribunal of Lebanon (STL) sentenced Habib Merhi and Hussein Oneissi to life in prison Thursday for their part in a bombing that killed Lebanon’s ex-premier Rafic Hariri. Merhi and Oneissi committed a bombing that killed 22, including Hariri, and injured 226. They were previously found guilty of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, [...]