The US Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld copyright protections for features incorporated into the design of useful articles. The court ruled 6-2 in Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands, Inc. in favor of Varsity Brands in a patent infringement lawsuit concerning patterns typically fit for cheerleading uniforms. The suit was brought to determine the proper [...]

Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law a bill that separates the celebrations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate General Robert E Lee. King and Lee were both born in mid-January and up until the bill was signed, the state of Arkansas celebrated both men on the same day. [...]

Education and parent groups filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to prevent the Michigan government from using certain public funds for private schools. The suit is a response to the state’s education budget , which allocates $2.5 million for reimbursements to private schools for the cost of meeting state requirements, such as health and fire codes, [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corporation , a case involving the authority of bankruptcy courts. The case involves a trucking company seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which was being sued by truck drivers for failing to provide legally-required notice of their dismissal. The bankruptcy court approved a dismissal of [...]

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation, Léo Heller , on Tuesday urged the international community involved in development cooperation to work toward ensuring that people everywhere have rights to water and sanitation . Heller stated that development programs for developing countries can better achieve these rights if they are guided [...]

The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would prohibit cities in the state from passing so-called “sanctuary” laws limiting how local government groups cooperate with federal immigration agencies. The bill defines a sanctuary policy as one that (a) limits or prohibits any person from communicating or cooperating with federal agencies or officials to [...]

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed HB 1549, known as the the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2017 , on Tuesday, which would prohibit abortions because of Down’s Syndrome or genetic abnormalities of the child. According to the legislation, any doctor who knowingly violates the law would be liable for damages and risk losing his or [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday that members of the Libyan National Army (LNA) may have committed war crimes in Benghazi on and around March 18. Benghazi has been center of stand-off between the LNA and the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC) for almost two years. On March 18, dozens of civilians attempted to flee [...]

Former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye met with The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for several hours on Tuesday in connection with the ongoing corruption probe. Park began the day by giving an apology in front of the media. Park previously refused to speak with prosecutors, citing her presidential immunity. However, since her removal from [...]

The Pakistan National Assembly voted Tuesday to renew an amendment to the country’s constitution that allows military tribunals to oversee civilians accused of terrorist-related crimes. Pakistan first made the amendment following an attack on a school in 2014. But critics, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) have called on Pakistan to end the use of [...]