The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held on Wednesday that the Texas photo voter identification law, SB 14 , had a discriminatory effect on minority voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) . However, the case was remanded to the district court to reexamine whether its discriminatory purpose [...]

A Bangladeshi court on Monday officially indicted 41 people with murder stemming from a 2013 garment factory collapse which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,100 people. Building owner Rohel Sana and his parents were among those charged. Of the 41 charged and indicted, seven are currently in jail and the whereabouts of a [...]

The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo , who has been kept in hospital detention for nearly five years on charges of election fraud, plundering, and corruption. The Court, in an 11-4 decision , dismissed the charges citing a lack of sufficient evidence. Arroyo [...]

A Wisconsin court on Tuesday ordered the state to allow voters who do not have identification to vote in November’s general elections. Judge Lynn Alderman’s order implemented an “affidavit option” sought by the plaintiffs, in which voters who are not able to obtain ID can still vote if they sign a declaration explaining why they [...]

Acting US Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn on Monday asked the US Supreme Court to reconsider the case challenging the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement program. A divided court split 4-4 in June, thereby allowing a Fifth Circuit ruling blocking the measures to stand. Recognizing that the court doesn’t often grant rehearing, Gershengorn argued that without a [...]

The European Court of Justice on Tuesday found that a European Commission rule generally requiring a so-called “bail-in” for banks receiving state aid is consistent with EU law. The Commission’s Banking Communication , issued in July 2013, provides that shareholders and subordinated creditors must share the burden of a struggling bank’s financial shortfall prior to [...]

A Kenyan court on Monday approved charges against four police officers for the murder of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani. The bodies of Kimani, his client Josphat Mwenda, and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri showed signs of torture when they were discovered earlier this month.The International Justice Mission (IJM) , Kimani’s employer, has stated that [...]

Amnesty International (AI) published a new report on Monday claiming that Iranian authorities have been denying adequate medical coverage to political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. AI claims that Iran is putting these prisoners at grave risk of death, permanent disability and other irreversible damage to their health because of their actions. The group alleges [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Mahmudul Hasan of University of Development Alternative discusses how international environmental law can be influenced by indigenous orders… In the realm of international environmental law, we have seen how various conceptions of international law; ideas about sovereignty and human rights come into play and add further dimensions and challenges to the existing [...]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Monday that he would approve reinstating the death penalty so long as the measure had sufficient support in the Grand National Assembly . The death penalty was abolished over a decade ago in Turkey, but Erdogan asserted that the Turkish people want the death penalty for those involved in [...]