“A trial is a window into the soul of a country.” –Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems,” which guarantees that the city’s [...]
Deputy US Attorney Rod Rosenstein submitted his letter of resignation Monday, effective May 11. Rosenstein was appointed by US President Donald Trump and oversaw the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. He was sworn in in April 2017. In his letter to Trump, Rosenstein wrote: I am [...]
Massachusetts state prosecutors from Middlex and Suffolk Counties, public defenders and a community activist organization filed a lawsuit against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Monday over federal immigration officials appropriating Massachusetts courtrooms as places to apprehend immigrants in the country illegally. The complaint stipulated that ICE has been using Massachusetts state courts, and its [...]
Federal judge and civil rights activist Damon J. Keith died Sunday at 96. The grandson of slaves, Keith served in the army during World War II before the army desegregated in 1948. After the war, Keith studied law at Howard University. He was appointed to the Federal District Court in Michigan in 1967 and elevated [...]
The US Navy on Saturday fired the commander of the Guantanamo military prison for “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” according to a Defense Department official who does not have the authority to speak publicly. Navy Rear Adm. John Ring took command of the task force that oversees the prison facilities at Guantanamo. [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) can be held generally liable for personal injury claims that arise out of the transit company’s commercial activity. The petitioner, Gary Thacker, suffered severe head injuries and the death of a companion while participating in a fishing tournament in the Tennessee River [...]
The Supreme Court of Kansas ruled on Friday that the state’s Bill of Rights protects personal autonomy, including the right to abortion. In a 6-1 decision, the court upheld a temporary injunction of Senate Bill 95, which prohibits the evacuation and dilation of a fetus during the second trimester, and remanded the case to the trial court [...]
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd informed the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday that the US Department of Justice would not permit Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Gore to testify before the committee about the addition of a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census, defying a congressional subpoena that demanded his deposition. In [...]
The US Supreme Court held on Wednesday that under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) an ambiguous contract could not compel parties to submit to class arbitration. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court reversed the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Writing the opinion for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts stated that “arbitration is strictly a [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Mozambique on Thursday to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute local officials who extort money and sexual favors from those seeking aid. In March Cylcone Idai devastated villages in the Manica, Sofala, and Zambezia regions of Mozambique and left more than 1.85 million civilians in need of aid. Despite the UN’s response, [...]
