The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a settlement with BP resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster . The case arises from a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last March. BP claims that under the terms of the settlement they are forced to pay businesses and [...]

A German court on Tuesday threw out a case against a former SS soldier who was accused of being involved in the largest massacre in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. German prosecutors claim that Cologne resident Werner C. was part of a firing squad that killed 25 men and aided in the burning of [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Monday. In Direct Marketing Association v. Brohl the court is considering whether the Tax Injunction Act (TIA) bars federal court jurisdiction over a suit brought by non-taxpayers to enjoin the informational notice and reporting requirements of a state law that neither imposes a tax, nor [...]

The US Supreme Court agreed last Friday to add three cases to the docket for the upcoming term. The first case, Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. involves state-issued specialty license plates and whether the First Amendment’s free speech protection allows state governments to put limits on the range and type of [...]

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a press release Friday declaring 2014 “a devastating year for children” citing the 15 million children affected by violent conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, the State of Palestine, Syria and Ukraine. Beyond the newly erupted conflicts of 2014, UNICEF estimates 230 million children globally live [...]

The US Department of Defense (DOD) on Monday announced the transfer of six detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to Uruguay. This move is the result of a 2009 Executive Order issued by President Obama instructing the Guantanamo Bay Review Force to review these cases. The decision to transfer the detainees was unanimous amongst [...]

Somalia’s parliament on Saturday reported a vote of no confidence in Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed. Ahmed began his term in December 2013. The 153 votes requesting his resignation came in response to the tension between Ahmed and current Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud . The difference in political views between the men had [...]

The United Nations Office of the Higher Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported their concerns on Friday over the outcome of both the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases. The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsak, said “I am concerned by the grand juries’ decisions and the apparent conflicting evidence that exists relating [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Peter J. Hammer, of Wayne State University Law School, discusses the socioeconomic disparities that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals experience in Michigan … In an increasing number of domains, from worker rights, to marriage inequality, to state-imposed “Emergency Managers,” almost exclusively in majority-minority cities, Michigan is becoming known as the “Mississippi [...]

The High Court of Justice of England and Wales has declared that the government’s ban on sending books to prisoners in England is unlawful. Current rules prevent prisoners from receiving parcels unless there are exceptional circumstances such as a medical condition. Justice Collins called the ban “unnecessary and irrational” and highlighted the importance of books [...]