The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that US Secret Service agents are entitled to qualified immunity despite having treated a group of protesters differently based on their viewpoints. In 2004 while then-president George W. Bush was campaigning for re-election, groups of protesters and supporters rallied around the patio-area of the restaurant where the president was [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was justified in its decision to defer adopting new air quality standards for pollutants that contribute to acid rain . The lawsuit was brought against the EPA by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) , an [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a Florida law permitting the death penalty for criminal defendants whose IQ is greater than 70 violates the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution. The case, Hall v. Florida involved a defendant who was sentenced to death for killing a pregnant woman and a sheriff’s deputy in [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in Plumhoff v. Rickard that police officers who fatally shot a driver to end a dangerous car chase did not violate the Fourth Amendment . The case was brought on appeal by six officers who claimed they were entitled to qualified immunity in a civil lawsuit filed by the [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Tuesday in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community that tribal sovereign immunity bars a state from suing in federal court to enjoin a tribe from violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) outside of Indian lands. In this case the state of Michigan and the Little Traverse Bay Bands [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday granted certiorari in Comptroller v. Wynne to determine whether the US Constitution prohibits a state from taxing all the income of its residents—wherever earned—by mandating a credit for taxes paid on income earned in other states. Maryland allows such a credit against its state income tax but not against [...]

Armed Thai soldiers on Sunday arrested human rights defender Sukanya Prueksakasemsuk and her son Panitan Prueksakasemsuk following a raid of their house in Bangkok. They were released on Monday from military custody on the condition that they give no interviews and take part in no political activities. Following their arrest the Thai military junta, the [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Monday that traffickers in Yemen are holding African migrants in detention camps and using torture as a method of extorting money from their families with the cooperation of local officials. The report, entitled “‘Yemen’s Torture Camps’: Abuse of Migrants by Human Traffickers in a Climate of Immunity,” calls for [...]

Frontrunner Petro Poroshenko claimed Ukraine’s presidency on Sunday after exit polls gave him an absolute majority in the first round of voting. Billionaire candy-maker Poroshenko, who is known as the “chocolate king,” garnered more than 55 percent of votes. While announcing his victory, Poroshenko vowed to forge closer links with the EU, but his first [...]

Thailand’s military released several statements on Sunday in an effort to smother dissent following the military overthrow of the government last Thursday. Deputy army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a televised statement : We would like to ask all people to avoid gathering to stage protests because it’s not a usual situation for the democratic [...]