The Hong Kong Court of First Instance ruled Friday against a lesbian woman who sought constitutional protections for same-sex marriage. The plaintiff, identified in the case as MK, a Hong Kong permanent resident, brought this case in hopes of having Hong Kong grant recognition of same-sex marriage under the island’s constitution, or, in the alternative, [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in two landmark cases concerning LGBTQ+ employment rights. The court first heard oral argument in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. This case was consolidated for oral argument with a similar case, Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda. Both cases involved a gay male plaintiff who alleged that he [...]

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against a probationary civil service employee who attempted to sue the state for wrongful discharge. The suit was brought by James Miracle, a former employee of both the Mansfield Correctional Institution and the Ohio Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Miracle was a building construction superintendent at Mansfield Correctional Institution in [...]

The Supreme Court of California ruled Monday that the City of San Diego improperly failed to consider the environmental impact of its new zoning ordinance limiting the creation of marijuana dispensaries. San Diego Ordinance O-20356, put forward by the city council in 2014, sought to impose a number of limitations on where marijuana dispensaries could [...]

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the most restrictive use-of-force law of any police organization in the US Monday. The bill, AB392, heavily revises the ability of officers to use deadly force and the scrutiny under which force is evaluated. Under the new law, officers will only be allowed to use deadly force in the necessary [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Monday that several major nations including the US and Russia are continuing to block a potential international treaty on the use of autonomous weapons. HRW and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots have been encouraging nations to enter negotiations for a new treaty requiring meaningful human interaction to apply the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal Tuesday of a lawsuit brought by various trucking industry organizations against the Pennsylvania Toll Commission. The lawsuit, brought by the Independent Drivers Association and the National Motorist Association, among others, sought to challenge Pennsylvania’s high tolls under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Thursday that Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, can maintain its current seal, which includes an image of a cross among other secular symbols. Lehigh County’s current seal was adopted in 1944. The cross is set in the center of the seal, which also contains images of the [...]

Puerto Rico swore in its third governor of 2019, Wanda Vázquez Garced, on Wednesday after the removal of Pedro Pierluisi. Vázquez is the third governor after the resignation of elected governor, Ricardo Rosselló, and the removal of his chosen successor, Pedro Pierluisi, by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. The trouble began after group chats [...]

A group called Abused in Scouting on Tuesday announced the filing of a new sexual abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America. The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, alleges that a former scout, known only as S.D. in the filing, was abused hundreds of times starting at age 12 for a [...]