The European Union adopted a non-binding resolution Wednesday against Turkey’s accession as a member of the EU. The resolution passed in the European Parliament by 370 votes in favor, 109 against with 143 abstentions. The assembly noted past and ongoing human, civil, and due process rights violations committed by Turkey. The body expressed concern over Turkey’s [...]

The US Senate voted 59-41 Thursday to reject President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to appropriate an additional $3.6 billion in funding to build a wall along the border of Mexico. Trump had used authority granted to him under the National Emergencies Act to direct funding from other military projects to address the alleged national emergency [...]

The UK House of Commons voted on Wednesday to reject exiting the EU without a deal in place. The vote had a margin of 43, with 321 voting in favor of the measure and 278 voting against the measure. The vote is not legally binding. The measure was amended by a vote of 312-308 to [...]

Much needed legislation, which reins-in use of algorithms to determine who stays in jail pending trial and who gets out, recently passed in the Idaho legislature. House Bill 118, sponsored by Representative Greg Chaney (R-Caldwell), is first-of-its-kind legislation that addresses inherent flaws in the criminal justice system. The bill calls for the algorithms to be [...]

Toledo, Ohio residents last month overwhelmingly voted in favor of the innovative Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR), an amendment to the city charter which declares Lake Erie has enforceable legal rights. What that vote signals may turn out to be more important to Lake Erie than the well-intentioned but legally flawed LEBOR itself. LEBOR [...]

The US Senate approved SJ Res 7 on Wednesday that calls for the removal of US military from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen. The resolution states that only Congress has the authority to declare war and that Congress has not declared war against the Houthis in the Republic of Yemen. The hostilities in Yemen [...]

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday reintroduced the Equality Act, which, if signed into law, would be the first federal law protecting LGBTQ+ Americans. “In most states in this country, a gay couple can be married on Saturday, post their wedding photos to Instagram on Sunday, and lose their jobs or get kicked out of their apartments [...]

The Iowa legislature approved a bill on Tuesday to prosecute individuals who trespass on farms or puppy mills to record animal living conditions. The bill, approved by a vote of 41-8 in the Senate and 65-32 in the House, would create a trespassing charge for undercover investigators that film abusive animal living conditions and publicize [...]

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday putting a moratorium on executions in the state. In a statement, Newsom explained the decision: The death penalty has been an abject failure. It discriminates based on the color of your skin or how much money you make. It’s ineffective, irreversible, and immoral. It goes against [...]

US President Donald Trump signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act on Tuesday. The bill, which passed by the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support, works to expand national parks and creates new national monuments. In his signing statement, Trump highlighted the bill’s creation of a committee to make a [...]