Attorneys for Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah have filed a lawsuit against the two psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who developed the harsh interrogation techniques used by the CIA, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation. The UK human rights group Reprieve announced the case on Wednesday. The attorneys are seeking to subpoena the psychologists in order [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block a finding that a Texas county’s bail system discriminates against the poor. Officials of Harris County petitioned the court on Tuesday for an emergency order to block the ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which called for the release of inmates [...]

Former FBI director James Comey testified on Thursday in front of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence . During more than two hours of testimony, Comey recounted nine encounters with President Donald Trump. Comey had documented each time he met with the president in private. While he did not make any new revelations about links [...]

The Connecticut General Assembly on Tuesday passed HB 5743 , an anti-hate crime bill that could be the strongest in the country. The legislation makes any hate crime an automatic felony rather than a misdemeanor. The bill is also more inclusive as to what constitutes a hate crime by adding violence or threats based on [...]

Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday calling for governments to do more to reduce violence against women and LGBTQI individuals. The report called gender-related killings a type of arbitrary execution. While roughly 5 percent of male homicide victims [...]

The US Supreme Court lifted the stay of execution granted last week by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit for Robert Melson late Tuesday. The brief order was issued by Justice Clarence Thomas and noted that Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer opposed the decision. Melson challenged the use [...]

Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that a tax on nuclear fuel was illegal. The tax, implemented in January 2011, charged nuclear power plants €145 per gram of fissile nuclear fuel loaded in a power plant. The court ruled that the tax did not fit within the types of excise duty allowed by the [...]

The Delaware legislature approved a bill on Tuesday that guarantees access to abortion. The bill, which was previously approved by the state Senate, was approved by a vote of 22-16 after five hours of debate and discussion. The bill ensures that the provisions of Roe v. Wade remain legal at the state level should the [...]

Former FBI Director James Comey issued the following prepared remarks on Wednesday in advance of his June 8, 2017, testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee . The hearings will begin at 10:00 am EDT. Statement for the Record Senate Select Committee on Intelligence James B. Comey June 8, 2017 Chairman Burr, Ranking Member Warner, Members [...]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a series of abortion regulations into law on Tuesday. Senate Bill 8 will require the burial or cremation of fetal tissue and bans the donation of fetal tissue. The legislation also bans so called “partial-birth abortion,” which is already banned by federal law, as well as the dilation and evacuation [...]