Illinois on Wednesday became the sixteenth US state to legalize same-sex marriage when Governor Pat Quinn signed the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (Act) . Although the Act allows same-sex couples to marry, it allows religious organizations to refuse to celebrate or solemnize marriages if they so choose. The Act guarantees equal access to [...]

Voters of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday rejected a proposed ordinance that would have banned all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In a 55 to 45 percent vote, the citizens voted against allowing the proposed ordinance to become law. This referendum marked the first time a city had ever been asked to vote on [...]

The Regional Court of Berlin on Tuesday held that 25 of Google‘s privacy policies and terms of service violate Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG) , Germany’s data protection law. The case against Google was filed by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) , which challenged 13 privacy policies and 12 terms of service that it claimed were [...]

The Kenyan human rights group Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and the Open Society Justice Initiative issued a report on Tuesday, calling on the US and the UK to suspend financial support to Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU). The document, entitled “We’re Tired of Taking You to the Court,” alleges that the ATPU has committed [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday released a statement calling on Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference (NDC) to endorse proposed legislation that would strike down a 2012 law providing blanket immunity to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh . The current law grants Saleh immunity from prosecution for any actions taken during his 32-year rule and also [...]

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that a proposal by the ruling Puea Thai party to amend the constitution to make the nation’s senate fully elected is illegal. The court held that Thailand’s parliament did not follow proper procedures for amending the constitution, saying that several lawmakers had engaged in fraud during the voting process [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 5-4 to allow Texas’s new abortion law to remain in effect while it is being reviewed by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit . The provision in question requires doctors who perform abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Pro-choice groups [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced that a $13 billion civil settlement with JPMorgan & Co. has been finalized, resolving federal and state claims arising from the bank’s risky mortgage practices which helped lead to the 2008 financial crisis. It is the largest settlement paid by a single company in American history. [...]

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Monday declassified intelligence documents regarding data collection under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order permitting the National Security Agency (NSA) to collect Americans’ e-mail and Internet data was published for the first time on [...]

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a piece of legislation on Tuesday that makes it illegal to sell cigarettes to individuals under the age of 21. The legislation, passed by the New York City Council , is intended to decrease smoking rates in New York City. Bloomberg claimed this measure “ill prevent young people [...]