The Romanian justice ministry on Wednesday published a draft of a plan to lower prison overcrowding that involves pardons for thousands of prisoners , but the plan was met with protests around the country. Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu’s proposed emergency ordinance would bypass parliamentary and presidential approval and release approximately 2,500 prisoners. The main focus [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday refused to intervene to overturn a Defense Department decision to continue the detention of Algerian prisoner Sufyian Barhoumi . Responding to an emergency court petition , District Judge Rosemary Collyer declined to release Barhoumi, who had his repatriation granted by a [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard argument on two issues: a First Amendment challenge to the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act on trademarks, and whether a government official can be held individually responsible for their role in a potentially unconstitutional detention. In Lee v. Tam , the justices heard arguments on whether Simon [...]

Attorneys General from nine states and the District of Columbia filed an objection with the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Wednesday to stop a proposed settlement of a class action suit against the gun manufacturer Remington. The lawsuit alleged that about 7.5 million riffles sold by Remington had a design [...]

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday refused a request by the prosecutor to issue a warrant of arrest against Jay Y Lee , the chief of South Korea’s largest company, Samsung Group. Lee is accused of giving large donations to non-profit organizations run by a close friend of the President of South Korea, in [...]

General Motors (GM) on Wednesday agreed to pay $1 million to resolve a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) inquiry. The SEC accounting case is in regards to a faulty ignition switch linked to 124 deaths and 275 injuries. This ignition switch defect resulted in vehicle recalls beginning in 2014. The settlement ends charges that [...]

JPMorgan Chase & Co agreed Wednesday to pay $55 million to settle a lawsuit by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) . The lawsuit accuses JPMorgan of discriminating against minority borrowers by allowing mortgage brokers to charge them more for home loans. The lawsuit accused the bank of violating the US Fair Housing Act and [...]

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency Tuesday to avoid handing power over to President-elect Adama Barrow , who won the election last month. Gambia State Television said that the declaration will prevent a power vacuum while the Gambian Supreme Court deliberates on Jammeh’s petition challenging the election result. Amnesty International (AI)

Amnesty International (AI) called on Bahraini authorities Wednesday to commute the death sentences of Hussain Ali Moosa and Mohamed Ramadhan. AI warned that the recent protests against the three harsh executions carried out earlier this month risk igniting a human rights crisis. Neither of the men had access to a lawyer during their interrogations and [...]

The Malaysian court of appeal ruled Wednesday that jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim can continue challenging the rejection of his petition for a royal pardon. Anwar, the former deputy prime minister, is serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy. His next step is to petition the Federal Court to determine if he has the constitutional [...]