Utah governor Gary Herbert on Monday signed into law HB 136, which bans abortion after 18 weeks. Violating the abortion laws is a felony of the second or third degree, except for violation of 76-7-305(2)(a) through (c) and (e), regarding informed consent requirements, which is a class A misdemeanor. Abortion is authorized when 1) the [...]
The European Parliament on Tuesday approved the new Copyright Directive for online platforms, holding them liable for user uploaded content, except for materials such as memes, GIFs and hyperlinks to news articles. The Directive aims to apply copyright law to the digital age, as well as to ensure that the internet remains a space for freedom [...]
The US Court of International Trade on Monday upheld the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported steel for national security reasons. The decision imposing tariffs was challenged by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS), a group of steel importers, as unconstitutional. Specifically, they claimed that Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 violates a constitutional prohibition [...]
A US judge on Monday sentenced ex-Hong Kong government official Chi Ping Patrick Ho to three years in prison and a $400,000 fine following his December conviction violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering and conspiracy. Ho was arrested in 2017 for crimes committed while acting as the secretary-general of the China Energy Fund Committee. Ho was convicted [...]
Duke University agreed to pay the US government $112.5 million Monday to settle a lawsuit relating to a technician’s fabricated and falsified research data used to obtain funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies. The settlement amount represents reimbursement of federal grant money and appropriate penalties for False Claims Act violations. [...]
Attorney Michael Avenatti, known for representing clients against public figures such as President Donald Trump and Robert Kelly, was charged and arrested on Monday in a sting operation after allegedly attempting to extort Nike. The charges, filed in the Southern District of New York, include conspiracy to transmit interstate communications with intent to extort, conspiracy [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc., and Dutra Group v. Batterton. The Jones Act provides means of recovery for seamen in personal injury and wrongful death laws. Through a measure of “unseaworthiness,” plaintiffs can recovery if injury happens because a vessel is not [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of an unnamed corporation required to disclose vital information regarding special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The company had argued that it was immune to investigation the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which restrains prosecution for foreign entities. A lower court initially fouond that the request [...]
Alberta Judge Mary Moreau decided Monday that the war crimes sentence against former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr has now expired. Khadr was charged with crimes in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old. He was detained at Guantanamo and spent a few years there before pleading guilty to certain charges to avoid being sentenced for [...]
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday the state had in the past been the main violator of human rights in the country. “As a president, and at the same time as commander of the country’s armed forces, I will never give the order to massacre, to repress the people of Mexico,” said [...]
