The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that indigent defendants may sue counties to ensure that public defenders’ offices are more adequately funded. The case presented the issue of: “whether a cause of action exists entitling a class of indigent criminal defendants to allege prospective, systemic violations of the right to counsel due to underfunding, and [...]

The Supreme Court of India ruled Wednesday that an Italian marine under investigation for murdering two Indian fishermen may stay in Italy pending a determination of where jurisdiction lies in the matter. Salvatore Girone, another marine involved in the 2012 incident, was allowed by the court to return to Italy in May under similar circumstances. [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday dismissed the complaints of two individuals who were found liable for the 1998 Omagh bombing . The Belfast High Court had found that Liam Campbell and Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt were civilly liable for perpetuating the bombing. They appealed to the ECHR arguing that their [...]

The US Congress on Wednesday overrode US President Barrack Obama’s veto of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Obama vetoed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) last Friday, stating that such a bill violates international standards of foreign sovereign immunity and may set a dangerous [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled Wednesday against a New Hampshire law banning electronic devices in the ballot booth, making way for individuals to take “selfies” when voting. The court held that New Hampshire’s HB 366 , which prohibited individuals from making their marked ballots known to other individuals, is unconstitutional. [...]

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Wednesday that approximately 32,000 people have been arrested in relation to the recent coup attempt, and 70,000 have been questioned. Bozdag indicated the country will have to build more courts in order to try those accused in the coup attempt. Construction has already begun on a new courthouse near [...]

Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously rejected an appeal by former prime minister Ehud Olmert attempting to shorten his sentence for accepting bribes. The court, taking into account both the severity of the sentence and the conviction, upheld Olmert’s sentence but also rejected an appeal from the prosecution appealing Olmert’s acquittal in another matter as [...]

JURIST Guest Columnists Greg Barns of RMIT University Graduate School of Business and Law and Anna Talbot of Australian Lawyers Alliance discuss the need for improved policies regarding refugees in Australia… On Tuesday Australia’s Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, stood in front of world leaders and claimed his government’s refugee policy was the best in the [...]

Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday released a report detailing the prevalence of torture employed by Thai authorities and claiming the military government has led to a “culture of torture” . “Make Him Speak by Tomorrow,” named after an apparently common order given to soldiers, is the product of a two-year investigation and details 74 cases [...]

The US National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) said Wednesday that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) will pay $1.1 billion after it allegedly solid toxic mortgaged-backed securities. The RBS is currently preparing to settle a number of other US cases dealing with mis-selling similar bonds. This comes after the 2008 financial crisis , in [...]