A woman who was sentenced to prison for giving birth to a stillborn baby was acquitted on Monday by an El Salvador appeals court. Evelyn Hernández Cruz was raped by a gang member and did not know that she became pregnant. After giving birth to a stillborn baby, she was found guilty of aggravated homicide [...]
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 [...]
New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill on Monday announced his decision to fire Daniel Panteleo, the police officer who was involved in Eric Garner’s death. Five year ago, Garner was accused of illegally selling loose cigarettes. When confronted by police, Garner refused to comply with an arrest by then-Officer Pantaleo. Pantaleo clasped and maintained [...]
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 [...]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Friday formed a bench comprising five judges to hear an application for a legal opinion filed by the country’s president. Jayantha Jayasuriya, chief justice of the court, will head the bench that has been asked to determine whether it is lawful for provincial council elections to be held in the [...]
Judge Paul Innes of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Mercer County signed an order Wednesday temporarily blocking a law that allows terminally ill patients to obtain medication to end their life. The lawsuit, initiated by Dr. Yosef Glassman, an Orthodox Jewish Physician, argues that the law forces religious doctors into a position contrary [...]
Planned Parenthood on Thursday issued a letter to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit expressing the pressing need for emergency action to address an impending Title X deadline set by the Trump administration. Title X funds are set to be restricted for family planning clinics that continue to provide abortion care or [...]
The State Supreme Court of Hawaii held on Tuesday that a constitutional provision regarding Hawaiian education was intended to revive the Hawaiian language (‘ōlelo Hawai‘i) using reasonably accessible immersion education. In making this decision, the court acknowledge the substantial role Hawaiian language has played in the Native Hawaiian society, including the expression and preservation of [...]
The Canadian Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Mario Dion, released a report on Wednesday condemning the conduct of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Dion found that Trudeau contravened Section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act by using his position of authority over Attorney General Wilson-Raybould, to attempt to influence her decision so as [...]
A criminal court in Bangkok on Wednesday acquitted 24 leaders of the 2010 red shirt protests. The court dismissed all charges, including charges of terrorism, criminal association and inciting arrest. The case was brought by state prosecutors and business owners who were affected by the protests which took place in Bangkok’s central shopping area. The [...]
