The Israel Supreme Court Sunday held that non-Jewish children adopted by Jewish parents will no longer have to go through Orthodox conversions. This practice was based on Section 5 of Israel’s Child Adoption Law, 5571-1981, which required the religion of the adoptive parents and the child to be the same. The court instead opted for a [...]
Abortion bans in Nebraska and South Carolina Thursday failed to pass state legislatures. Legislative Bill 626, known as the Nebraska Heartbeat Act, would have banned doctors from performing abortions after detecting a fetal heartbeat, with exceptions for a medical energy, an ectopic pregnancy, sexual assault, or incest. A fetal heartbeat typically occurs during the fifth [...]
The North Carolina Supreme Court Friday held that the court had no authority to strike down the state’s election redistricting map last year. In Harper v. Hall, the majority of the state’s highest court reasoned that the role of the court does not include political disputes that implicate policy issues. Chief Justice Paul Martin Newby explained [...]
A Mayotte, France court Tuesday ordered the government to stop its expulsion of migrants in the Mayotte island department. In Operation Wuambushu, which translates to “Take Back” in Maore, the government sought to dismantle “slums” in Mayotte by removing the increasing population of undocumented immigrants on the island and demolishing shelters. Mayotte is one of France’s [...]
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum Monday signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bans into law. Senate Bill 2150 allows exceptions to the ban if it is a result of incest or abuse only if the fetus is less than six weeks’ gestation or if the abortion is is necessary to protect the health [...]
The US Supreme Court Monday declined to hear five appeals from fossil fuel companies requesting to have their cases moved from state to federal courts. All five petitions concern whether federal common law, which is law developed over time by courts, or state law applies to lawsuits over greenhouse-gas emissions that cross state lines. Each [...]
The Group of 7 (G7) Agriculture Ministers Sunday agreed to assist Ukraine as it rebuilds its agriculture system and condemned Russia’s “war of aggression” on Ukraine. The ministers stated: We stand ready to support the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, including by sharing our experience, knowledge and expertise regarding demining of agricultural land, and by [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Thursday found Missouri did not inappropriately divert $86 million worth of sales tax funds originally for desegregation efforts from the St. Louis Public School District. While charter schools may now receive funds from the sales tax, they are not required to use the funds toward desegregation efforts. In [...]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Thursday signed a bill into law that allows juries to recommend the death penalty without unanimous consent. For a jury to recommend the death penalty under Florida law, the jury must unanimously confirm there was an “aggravating factor” present to warrant capital punishment. Aggravating factors include if the crime was especially cruel [...]
The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) Tuesday released a report concluding that current Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act, a law that regulates political activity by government personnel. The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, restricts the types of campaign activities federal employees can participate in while holding office. Because [...]
