The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Friday upheld a decision by a lower court over attorney fees in the Flint water crisis $600 million partial settlement. The lower court previously approved the settlement and awarded attorney fees to the attorneys representing the class action participants. Although the settlement was “record-breaking” at $600 million, many Flint [...]

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Friday signed a bill which bans abortion pills in Wyoming and allowed a separate measure with further abortion restrictions to be passed without his signature. The abortion pills (misoprostol and mifepristone) are already fully banned in 13 states, and 15 states have restricted access and production of abortion pills. The bill makes [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Friday ruled that Proposition 22 (Prop 22), which requires platforms like Uber, Postmates and Lyft to provide evidence to classify their workers as independent contractors rather than employees, must face claims of unconstitutionality. The court reversed and remanded in part the US District Court for the [...]

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Thursday signed Senate Bill No. 4, which incorporates LGBTQ rights into Michigan’s civil rights law. This bill broadens the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), which was passed in 1976 and drafted by Mel Larsen (Republican) and Daisy Elliot (Democrat). The act originally prohibited discriminatory practices or policies against individuals based on [...]

The Indian government Sunday asserted in a filing to the Indian Supreme Court that it opposes recognising same-sex marriages and pushed the court to disregard pushback from LGBTQ couples on the current legislation. Parts of the filing were leaked but the full filing was not made available to the public. However, in the filing, the government [...]

The Iranian judiciary Sunday confirmed that the Supreme Court served the death sentence for Habib Farajollah Chaab, an Iranian-Swedish dissident on charges of conspiracy and terrorism. According to the Iranian authorities, Chaab had participated in and encouraged terrorist activity in Iran. The court specified the 2017 attack on a military parade where 25 people died and [...]

A Texas man Friday sued three women who allegedly aided his ex-wife by providing her with “illegally obtained abortion pills” without his knowledge. Marcus Silva’s petition states that under Texas’ murder and wrongful-death statutes, a self-managed abortion is the crime of murder, and the three women can be sued for wrongful death. Silva is represented [...]

Colorado Governor Jared Polis Friday signed a bill allowing those who have been convicted of a crime access to post-conviction DNA testing. The bill was supported and fully approved by both Houses in February 2023. Moreover, the bill will lower the threshold for individuals to seek DNA testing of evidence to mitigate the criminal justice [...]

Former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar Friday criticised the Nigerian elections which confirmed Bola Tinubu as the winner of the elections. During the press conference, Abubakar described the election as “neither free nor fair,” labelling it as “the worst conducted elections since the return to democratic rule.” Abubakar also mentioned accusations of fraud and undemocratic [...]

US District Judge Robert Pitman Friday ruled that Texas abortion funds cannot be prosecuted for aiding women who travel out of Texas to get abortions. In August 2022, numerous abortion funds, pro-choice groups and non-profit organizations brought the lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. They claimed that after Roe v Wade was overturned in June [...]