US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Sunday aimed at promoting access to voting. It was passed on the 56th anniversary of a famous march known as “Bloody Sunday,” during which “state troopers beat and tear-gassed hundreds of peaceful protesters crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The protesters were seeking justice [...]

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court granted bail Thursday to 15 of the 47 opposition figures charged with subversion under the region’s controversial national security law after organizing and participating in an unofficial primary election last July. A challenge from the prosecutors, however, meant that all 15 were kept in custody. In a “surprise u-turn,” four [...]

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Hennepin County District Court must reconsider a third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the police officer who will stand trial on March 8 for killing George Floyd. The Hennepin County District Court originally dismissed the charge against Chauvin for “lack of probable cause” and later denied the [...]

Chinese parliamentarians in Beijing proposed an overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system on Friday. The proposed structural changes would involve re-drafting Hong-Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, consolidating China’s “overall jurisdiction” over Hong Kong. China’s legislature is debating draft guidelines, and it is expected that it will pass the guidelines by March 11. Once the guidelines [...]

The Supreme Court of Ghana Thursday affirmed the election victory of President Nana Akufo-Addo after his opponent brought a legal challenge to the final result. The court rejected the petition filed by National Democratic Congress candidate John Mahama, who previously served a term as president starting in 2012 but failed to secure his re-election in [...]

A court in southern Kazakhstan on Thursday sentenced two activists to two years of probation for their involvement with banned political groups. The court in Taraz found both Nazira Lesova and Nazira Lepesova guilty of organizing and participating in prohibited demonstrations as part of their activities with the groups Koshe (Street) Party and the Democratic Choice [...]

JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Police and soldiers in Myanmar launched violent attacks on peaceful protesters assembled in several major cities Sunday and then launched raids on residential areas and  university campuses. Law students reporting for JURIST in Mandalay said that over 100 people were arrested in that city alone after authorities used tear gas, flash-bangs and [...]

The Tennessee Senate passed SB0228 Bill on Monday, a move which bans participation of transgender athletes from female designated sports. The Bill, introduced earlier this year, passed with a vote of 27-6 and amends Title 49 of the Tennessee Code. In its push for biological determinism over one’s self-identified gender, the Bill requires a student [...]

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed the SB2536 Bill on Wednesday, which bans transgender athletes from female designated sports. The Bill was introduced in the Mississippi Senate, which it passed earlier last month with a vote of 34-9, and now the House of Representatives with a vote of 81-28. The Bill requires public schools, member [...]

The Alabama Senate passed the controversial anti-trans SB10 Bill on Tuesday, effectively prohibiting the performance of gender affirming medical treatment on minors. The Bill, which shall be called the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, was introduced by Senator Shay Shelnutt and passed with a vote of 23-4. Section 3 of the Bill prohibits [...]