The US Supreme Court on Monday limited new trials for felons convicted for being in possession of a firearm, limiting the retroactive application of its 2019 decision Rehaif v. United States. The issue in Greer v. United States involved 18 USC §922(g), the federal law prohibiting felons from possessing firearms. Under the 2019 decision in Rehaif, the [...]

The Biden administration announced Friday that it intends to restore environmental protections to the Tongass National Forest. This would reverse a Trump administration rule that allowed logging and road construction in over half of the forest. According to the US Forest Service, the Tongass is the “largest intact temperate rainforest in the world.” More than [...]

The EU adopted a plan Friday banning Belarus airlines from flying over EU territory or landing in EU airports. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s security forces allegedly reported a false bomb threat on a Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania. The flight was forced to redirect outside of EU airspace to Minsk, where Belarusian security [...]

The Biden administration on Tuesday formally ended a Trump administration policy that forced 68,000 asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their court dates in US immigration court. Under the Migrant Protection Protocols Program, enacted in 2019, individuals entering or seeking admission into the US from Mexico could be returned to Mexico and made to [...]

The Vatican updated the criminal section of its Code of Canon Law Tuesday, changing Catholic Church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority. Laypersons who hold church office can similarly be sanctioned for sex crimes. The Code of Canon Law regulates the 1.3 billion-member Catholic Church. It [...]

Germany’s Federal Fiscal Court, the Bundesfinanzhof, demanded changes Monday to pension taxation to avoid future double taxation of retirement savings. Prior to 2005, pensions had been basically tax-exempt because contributions came from taxed salaries. Under a 2005 law change, pension contribution payments gradually become tax-free. However, the taxable share of the pension increased. Because of [...]

Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives blocked a vote Sunday on an election reform bill that would allegedly make it more difficult for minorities to vote. A bail bill also died in the house because of the walk-out. Senate Bill 7 would limit early voting hours and add more restrictions to voting by [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday released a part of an internal memo that was used in 2019 by former Attorney General William Barr in his decision not to prosecute former President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice. Late on Monday, the DOJ said in a court filing in the US District Court [...]

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed two major criminal justice reform bills into law Monday. The Alternatives to Incarceration Act, which replaces the Tennessee Community Act of 1985, places a cap on the duration of probation. It is meant to help local governments find alternatives to prison. The Re-Entry Success Act decreases the amount of time [...]

US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Saturday an 18-month designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This humanitarian protection would allow an estimated 100,000 individuals to apply to remain lawfully in the US. There are three statutory grounds for TPS designation: ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. In Haiti, [...]