The Oklahoma Legislature approved a bill Thursday that would criminalize performing abortions. The bill, SB 1552 , reads in pertinent part, “no person shall perform or induce an abortion upon a pregnant woman,” and “ this section shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than one (1) year nor more [...]
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Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice (STJ) on Thursday ruled that an economic state of emergency declared by President Nicolas Maduro is constitutional. The declaration, issued on May 13, gives the president special reach in matters pertaining to the state of the economy for 60 days. The Venezuelan population is currently suffering from the highest inflation [...]
A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Friday condemned Iranian authorities for the sentencing of Nargis Mohammadi, an anti-death penalty activist. Mohammadi is currently being held in Evin Prison, which is located in Tehran. The UN rights office expressed concerns for Mohammadi’s health, saying, “ believed to have serious [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in CRST Van Expedited, Inc v. EEOC does not require a favorable ruling on the merits for defendant as a prevailing party for the purposes of awarding attorney’s fees. In an 8-0 opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court vacated the Eighth Circuits’ judgment against attorney’s fees and [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 5-3 on Thursday in Torres v. Lynch that a “state crime counts as an aggravated felony when it corresponds to a specified federal offense in all ways,” and that the absence of the jurisdictional element of interstate commerce is “immaterial.” The case arose in connection with an immigration matter in [...]
Thousands of victims of sexual assault in the US Military have been unfairly discharged, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report Thursday. The 128-page report, the result of a 28-month investigation with the support of Protect Our Defenders , found that many victims were discharged for a variety of mental health reasons that made [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Thursday welcomed the measures being taken by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to prevent the use of its drugs in state-sponsored execution by lethal injection. Pfizer announced its decision to restrict the sale of seven products that have been part of lethal injection protocols in some [...]
South Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that would ban abortions at 20 weeks or later. The House of Representatives voted 79-29 in favor of the bill, which does not contain exceptions for rape or incest. Proponents claim the bill is necessary because there is evidence to suggest that fetuses can feel pain at [...]
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Wednesday announced the filing of a lawsuit against Michigan officials over the Flint water contamination crisis. The lawsuit, filed in March in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan accuses Governor Rick Snyder, several state officials and two engineering firms of [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in Betterman v. Montana that the Sixth Amendment right to a “speedy trial” ends at conviction. A criminal defendant is entitled to a speedy and public trial, and this case dealt with the question of whether protecting a criminal defendant from inordinate delay in the final disposition of [...]
