The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck on Monday to decide whether a private nonprofit public-access television channel can be sued for violations of the First Amendment. The case originates from a 2016 lawsuit brought by two public-access television producers against MNN, the operator of the public-access TV channels [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Friday for forces allied with one of Libya’s two competing governments to allow aid and medical workers into the Old City quarter of Derna, in Eastern Libya. HRW cites credible reports of civilians being “trapped there within the past two weeks without access to food, water, or medical care.” Libyan National [...]
A German court Thursday fined gun maker Heckler & Koch (H&K) €3.7 million (USD $4.2 million) and delivered suspended jail terms to two of its former employees for illegally exporting assault-rifles to Mexico. The ruling concludes a decades-long investigation and court battle that exposed the illegal sales. According to the World Peace Foundation, “he accusations against H&K [...]
Indiana senators approved a hate crimes bill Thursday after an amendment to remove language on gender identity and sexual orientation. The bill passed 39-10 and would allow a judge to consider bias when imposing criminal penalties. The amendment replaced language in key section of the bill that removed lists of protected classes such as gender [...]
Legal advocacy group Public Citizen filed the first legal challenge to US President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on behalf of three Texas landowners and a non-profit environmental group. The complaint alleges that the necessary seizures of property from the Texas landowners would constitute an “imminent invasion of their privacy and [...]
Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a gag order on Friday prohibiting Roger Stone, attorneys on both sides, and all witnesses and interested parties from making statements to the media or the public regarding Stone’s criminal case. All listed persons are further prohibited from making any [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday refused to dismiss a suit brought by three public interest groups challenging President Donald Trump’s Executive Order and related guidance, that directed, for every new regulation, two should be repealed. However, standing to bring the case remains in question. The judge found [...]
The Hawaiian Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended a bill decriminalizing marijuana on Thursday, clearing its first hurdle to becoming law. The bill would declare, “that the legalization of marijuana for personal or recreational use is a natural, logical, and reasonable outgrowth of the current science of marijuana and attitude toward marijuana.” If passed, it would permit [...]
Sweeping change is expected in the Australian financial sector as lawmakers agree to act on all 76 recommendations made by commissioner Kenneth Haye on Monday. The consideration comes following the conclusion of the 13-month inquiry by the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation (Pension) and Financial Services Industry. The purpose of the inquiry [...]
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Inspector General Daniel Levinson proposed a rule on Thursday to eliminate safe harbor for companies engaging in kickbacks associated with prescription drug rebates. Such discounts are currently protected from liability under section 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act, commonly called the “Federal anti-kickback statute.” Instead of permitting pharmaceutical [...]
