The US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on Tuesday for wire fraud and other crimes in connection to its infiltration operations targeting violent extremist organizations. The indictment alleges that the SPLC misled donors and made false statements to banks in its use and transmission of funds to SPLC individuals. [...]

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found Monday that the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds for abortions is unconstitutional—in part, because there is a fundamental right to get an abortion under Pennsylvania law. The Commonwealth Court, one of Pennsylvania’s intermediate appellate courts for state agency disputes, granted summary judgment to a group of abortion [...]

UN experts warned Tuesday that proposed French legislation to target antisemitism, dubbed the PPL Yadan Bill, could jeopardize freedom of expression. The experts stated: “Criminal law should not suppress different views about current or past events, however inaccurate, unpopular, or shocking, unless such expression is intended to incite violence and is objectively likely to do [...]

US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department on Friday fired two immigration judges who previously ruled for pro-Palestinian activists facing removal proceedings, adding to a growing number of administrative judge dismissals. Judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes occupied probationary judgeship positions when the administration informed them they would not gain permanent status. The firings occurred following [...]

The secretary general of Amnesty International Agnès Callamard on Tuesday condemned President Trump’s threats against Iran if the country’s leaders failed to open the Strait of Hormuz.  Callamard warned that the mere threat of such an act showed cruelty and would violate international humanitarian law if carried out, citing prohibitions on “direct attacks on civilians [...]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday HB 1471, which grants the state’s chief of domestic security authority to designate domestic terrorist organizations. The chief may provide such a designation if they determine an entity operating in the state is engaged in terrorist activity, and the governor and cabinet approve the determination. The law [...]

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday to improve the efficiency and implementation of mandates across the UN system. The resolution includes a series of reforms outlining how the General Assembly, working groups, and other entities within the UN will develop and effect mandates which guide member states. The reforms range from requiring [...]

Human Rights Watch published a report Monday identifying numerous programs throughout the US that provide alternatives to traditional police response for emergency mental health crises. The report, “‘Self-Determination is the Pathway to Liberation’: Alternative Mental Health Crisis Response in the United States,” surveyed 150 non-police crisis response programs across the US. Focusing on eight of [...]

Minnesota sued the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday over their refusal to provide state investigators with access to evidence regarding three shootings by DHS agents in the state. The complaint alleges that DHS and DOJ unlawfully denied the state’s requests for evidence pertaining to the shootings. [...]

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) sued the Trump administration Monday for pausing payments for the long-stalled Second Avenue Subway Project. The complaint alleges that the US Department of Transportation (DOT) failed to reimburse the MTA over $50 million, as required by contract. The MTA and DOT entered into a Full Funding Grant Agreement [...]