The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday lifted a preliminary injunction ordering the transfer of vulnerable inmates from Elkton Federal Correctional Institution. The injunction came as a response to a COVID-19 outbreak at Elkton. Approximately one-fourth of Elkton’s inmates have tested positive for the virus, 19 dying from it. Due to the [...]

A Minnesota federal judge denied injunctive relief on Tuesday regarding the treatment of journalists reporting on the events following George Floyd’s death by law enforcement in the state. Plaintiff Jared Goyette, a freelance journalist, brought the claim challenging the treatment imposed on press covering the protests, stating that law enforcement used “aggressive tactics to harm [...]

Amazon halted police use of facial-recognition software system “Rekognition” on Wednesday over concerns of potential racial bias. In the blog post announcing the moratorium, Amazon claimed they hoped Congress would use that time to implement stronger regulations. Further, Amazon said that Congress seems to be moving toward stronger regulations in recent days. Amazon will continue [...]

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday that French judges erred in convicting activists who staged a “boycott Israel” demonstration at a supermarket. The activists, who were members of the “Collectif Palestine 68,” boycotted products imported from Israel as part of a campaign launched in July 2005. On September 26, 2009, five of the [...]

The Public Utilities Commission of the State of California said Thursday that drivers who work for services such as Uber and Lyft will be considered employees, not independent contractors, under California’s new gig worker law. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 5 into law in September, modifying the California Labor Code to direct that an [...]

Buffalo, New York, Mayor Byron Brown on Wednesday ordered that a new police unit, trained in civil rights and without military gear, handle peaceful demonstrations. This order comes after a police riot unit was involved in the injury of a 75-year-old protester. During the June 4 march against racism and police brutality in Buffalo, two [...]

A Turkish court sentenced US consulate employee Metin Topuz to eight years and nine months on Thursday for aiding a 2016 coup attempt. In a statement released Thursday, the US embassy denounced the conviction. The statement claims that the trial lacked credible evidence to support conviction. Further, US embassy officials stated: The allegations made about [...]

Judge Jed Rakoff of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled on Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must stop targeting those traveling to or at New York courthouses. The case stems from a 2019 lawsuit filed by authorities from the state of New York. They are attempting to [...]

Amnesty International launched a new resource Thursday based on the evidence collected by Crisis Evidence Lab on the misuse of tear gas by police and security forces around the world. The site includes explainers on how tear gas works, interviews with medical and human rights experts, how it is abused, and an incident map. Tear [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Tuesday granted a stay of execution for Ruben Gutierrez, a Texas death row inmate who was scheduled to die next week. Gutierrez has continually maintained his innocence in the 1998 murder of Escolastica Harrison when Gutierrez was 20. Harrison reportedly did [...]