The California State Legislature approved a bill Wednesday requiring California prosecutors to erase or reduce tens of thousands of marijuana criminal convictions. The legislation is expected to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown. The California Department of Justice “estimates that almost 220,000 cases are eligible for erasure or reduction. The Department of Justice has until [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Wednesday tossed a $3 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), saying that GSK could not have warned about the risks of suicide on its drug label for Paxil. GSK is the manufacturer of Paxil, the generic of which is paroxetine, a psychotropic drug often used to treat [...]
A judge for the 22nd Circuit Court of St. Louis, Missouri , affirmed a $4.69 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) on Tuesday, for claims that their talc products, such as baby powder, caused ovarian cancer. The plaintiffs are 22 women, six of whom are deceased, and their families. In July, after nearly six weeks of trial [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court’s decision invalidating an Alabama state law prohibiting dilation and evacuation abortions, the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. Writing for a unanimous panel, Chief Judge Ed Carnes upheld the lower court after reviewing for clear error its decision to invalidate the [...]
A D.C. superior court judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought against Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer. Steele was sued in April by three Russian business magnates for libel, a year after his dossier alleging Russia’s involvement with the Trump campaign was published. Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan claimed that the contents [...]
Pittsburgh rapper, Jamal Knox, lost his appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled Tuesday that his song threatening police officers was not protected under the First Amendment. Officer Michael Kosko and Detective Daniel Zeltner of the Pittsburgh Police were both scheduled to testify against Knox after he was arrested in 2012 on multiple charges, [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday that photographs of detainees taken by US military personnel can be withheld from release. In 2003 the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the release of photographs depicting torture at military detention facilities in [...]
Imprisoned Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was denied bail by the Cambodian Supreme Court Wednesday. Sokha was arrested last fall on charges on trying to overthrow the government, and the Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved. Sokha has not been given a trial since he was imprisoned. Cambodia’s leader, Hun Sen has been in power for more than [...]
UN Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy said Wednesday that sanctions against Iran must be just and not harmful to innocent citizens. The sanctions reimposed earlier this month by US President Donald Trump are “destroying the economy and currency of Iran, driving millions of people into poverty and making imported goods affordable,” stressed the UN expert. Jazairy stated: [...]
A Vietnamese court in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday began the trial of 12 people, including two American citizens, on charges of subversion. The government-run news agency said two Vietnam-born American citizens stand accused of commanding the distribution of “anti-state leaflets, tak over state radio stations to broadcast anti-government messages, and participat in anti-government protests.” [...]
