Colombia’s Constitutional Court has decriminalized abortion up to 24 weeks, continuing a trend that has been spreading across traditionally conservative Catholic Latin American countries. The court had considered two cases over the past several months. One was brought by lawyer Andrés Mateo Sánchez Molina, and the other was brought by Causa Justa, a coalition of [...]

The US Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to take up the case of a web designer who refuses to provide services related to same-sex marriages. In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the court will once again consider how to balance religious freedoms with prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The court previously addressed these issues [...]

A judge for the US District for the District South Dakota Wednesday blocked an executive order that would have restricted medication abortions. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued the order in September, which would have prevented people from accessing abortion pills through telemedicine appointments by requiring the pills to be taken at an abortion provider [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Tuesday upheld the conviction of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo.” Guzmán ran one of the largest narco-cartels in Mexico and as recently as 2009 was listed on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest men. In 2017 he was extradited to [...]

A panel of three federal judges Monday blocked Alabama’s new congressional district map, finding that it unlawfully disadvantages Black voters. In a 225-page decision, US Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and US District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer issued a preliminary injunction preventing the new map from taking effect. They found that the map violated [...]

The US Supreme Court agreed Monday to reconsider whether race can be used in college admissions decisions. The court granted certiorari in Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, consolidating the cases for one hour of oral argument. The cases will [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas Friday blocked the Biden administration’s federal employee vaccine requirement. US President Joe Biden signed an executive order in September requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A lawsuit was filed in December. In blocking enforcement of the order Friday, Judge [...]

US Senate Democrats failed Wednesday to change filibuster rules and pass voting rights legislation. HR 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act narrowly passed in the House of Representatives last week by 220-203 votes, but the Senate defeat had been expected. The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would have made significant [...]

A judge for the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico Tuesday gave final approval to a plan for Puerto Rico to exit bankruptcy after nearly five years. The restructuring plan, signed by Judge Laura Taylor Swain, marks the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in US history, reducing the island territory’s debt by [...]

The US Supreme Court Tuesday turned away a dispute over a city’s refusal to grant a property tax exemption to a church, drawing a sharp dissent from Justice Neil Gorsuch. In Trustees of the New Life in Christ Church v. City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, the court had been asked to decide whether the city violated [...]