A panel of the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday declined an emergency application submitted by Noel Conway, who suffers from a terminal motor neurone disease, challenging the Suicide Act of 1961, which makes assisted dying illegal. The panel, although finding that this case present “an arguable point of law of general public important which ought [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a case concerning an appeal of class action status and a capital case challenging Oklahoma’s jurisdiction over a crime committed in Native American territory. The first case, Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert, concerns the application of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 23(f), which several courts have [...]

The Land Claims Court sitting at the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town, South Africa, ruled in favor of the District Six land claimants on Monday, ordering the government to provide a program for redevelopment of the area. District Six residents brought forth claims as early as 20 years ago for restitution for being [...]

The Egyptian Court of Cassation, the country’s highest appellate court, on Monday upheld the conviction of nine individuals for their involvement in the assassination of Hisham Barakat, the country’s chief prosecutor. Barakat was killed in 2015 after his vehicle convoy was struck by a car bomb in the streets of Cairo. Barakat remains the most senior [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 8-0 Tuesday that the Endangered Species Act permits the Secretary of the Interior to designate private land as “critical habitat” of endangered species, which then limits the ability to develop the designated land so long as it is a habitat for endangered species. However, courts should use the arbitrary and capricious standards [...]

The Ukrainian parliament on Monday passed Bill N. 9338 declaring martial law from November 28 to December 27. The move comes in response to growing aggression from Russia after three Ukrainian navy vessels were seized off the Crimean Peninsula. The Ukrainian president also stated that there is an “unspecified threat” against Ukraine. During the debate [...]

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed an executive order on Monday to create an emergency commission tasked with redrawing the state’s congressional district map. Earlier this month a three-judge panel for the District Court of Maryland ruled that the 2011 redrawing after the 2010 census was unconstitutionally done in a manner to favor Democrats. In the [...]

Fundamental freedoms are under attack in countries and regions around the world, according to a report released Tuesday by CIVICUS Monitor, a global civil society alliance. The report, entitled “People Power Under Attack 2018,” details the crisis facing civic activism. The statistics and information gathered by CIVICUS demonstrate the continued rise in the number of [...]

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned 785 prisoners on Tuesday, including a British citizen who had been sentenced to life in prison last week.  The pardon came on the UAE’s National Day, in which the government said, “The release of prisoners, and the settlement of their debts and fines, reflects the President’s keenness [...]

The US Supreme Court initiated its December sitting by hearing oral arguments in two cases Monday, including an antitrust claim against Apple. Apple v. Pepper involves third-party app developers’ concerns that Apple takes too large of a cut of the apps’ revenue and does not allow them to place their apps on competing platforms. Some [...]