The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled Friday that Amazon’s “last mile” delivery drivers are exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) because they are engaged in interstate commerce. Section 1 of the FAA exempts “contracts of employment of seamen, railroad employees, or any other class of workers engaged in foreign or [...]
The city of Oakland, California, on Saturday agreed to pay $32.7 million to victims of the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire. On December 2, 2016, a party was being held on the second floor of a warehouse in Oakland. The warehouse housed an artist collective known as Ghost Ship, and served as a refuge for [...]
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order on Friday establishing the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to improve policing practices within law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction. The Commission is comprised of Pennsylvania citizens focused on promoting transparency, fairness, and accountability among the Commonwealth’s state [...]
“Personhood” laws seek to classify fetuses as “persons” and grant them full legal protection under the US Constitution. These laws purport to protect the rights of a pregnant person, should they be involved in any sort of incident that terminates the pregnancy. Pro-choice individuals vehemently oppose Personhood laws because they broadly restrict an individual’s choice [...]
The Supreme Court has declined to block a Florida law that prevents convicted felons from voting. Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg and Kagan all dissented from the majority’s denial of application to vacate stay. The dissent explained: This Court’s order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Florida’s primary election simply because they are poor. [...]
New Hampshire governor, Chris Sununu, has signed a criminal justice reform bill. This bill comes in response to the George Floyd killing, which sparked nationwide protests. House Bill 1645 will effectively prohibit the use of chokeholds, ban private prisons throughout the state, requires mandatory reporting of police misconduct, and provides the police department with the [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) carried out the third federal execution in four days on Friday, executing Dustin Lee Honken for the murder of five people, including two children. Honken’s execution is the third in a string of federal executions in the past four days. A jury in Iowa found Honken guilty of five [...]
I have been home to see my family only once since quarantine began mid-march. I haven’t seen my friends since classes moved online and remote work became the new normal. I have quit going to a public gym and order groceries online. I wear a mask into the post office and bank (and did so [...]
New Philippines anti-terror legislation took effect Saturday after approval by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this month. It has been widely criticized for giving overreaching powers to the Philippines government, curbing free speech and targeting peaceful dissent. It provides for warrantless detention of suspects for up to 24 days, surveillance for up to 90 days and [...]
The US Attorney for the District of Oregon Friday called for an investigation into allegations that unidentified federal agents are arresting people in the city of Portland. US Attorney Billy Williams noted that federal agents have been in the city for the past fifty nights, defending the federal courthouse and other federal buildings from protestors. [...]
