The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must provide information about potentially discriminatory tax-exempt applications given to tea party members. In its decision , the court stated that the claims against the IRS were that they used political criteria to specifically round up tax-exempt status [...]

A national gun rights group has filed a lawsuit challenging Montana’s campaign finance law as a violation of free speech. The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) , a Virginia-based organization that wishes to send mailings to Montana voters, filed the suit in the US District Court for the District of Montana last Friday. They [...]

A Missouri state judge on Monday ordered the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) to disclose the source of the execution drug used by the state in order to comply with the Missouri sunshine law . The court found that the DOC was intentionally refusing to release the information about which pharmacy or entity was supplying [...]

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law on Tuesday a religious freedom bill that allows religious student organizations to base acceptance on sincerely held religious beliefs. Senate Bill 175 , known as the post secondary religious freedom bill, would allow student organizations to assert religious beliefs as a reason to not accept or to dismiss [...]

A judge for the Brazilian Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a ruling blocking former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking a ministry post. Last week’s order blocking the appointment came shortly after he was sworn into the position. A full decision on the issue is expected when the full court convenes next week. [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday partially dismissed the lawsuit of a nurse challenging the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk collection of cellphone metadata. The lawsuit, ruled on by a three-judge panel, was brought by Idaho nurse Anna Smith, who sued the government in 2013 claiming the NSA’s controversial bulk [...]

The UN Working Group on mercenaries on Tuesday urged the government of Ukraine to bring accountability for any human rights violations committed by foreign armed actors since conflict began in 2014. The working group has claimed that many volunteer and paid men and women from professional or independent militia groups are responsible for rights violations. [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday released a 4-4 opinion in the case Hawkins v. Community Bank of Raymore . The case addresses the role of spouses as guarantors in credit applications. In this case, Community Bank of Raymore asked for a guaranty to support the creditworthiness of PHC, a development company, and its two [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC) released a report on Tuesday with recommendations on reforming the criminal justice system in Ohio . The report details six headlines of focus: limit harsh, automatic punishments; prioritize rehabilitation; release innocent people from jail; decriminalize poverty; limit collateral consequences; and [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in two cases. In Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax Free Trust, consolidated with Acosta-Febo v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust , the court is considering whether federal bankruptcy law preempts a Puerto Rico law intended to allow the commonwealth’s public utilities to restructure their debts. The issue [...]