The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday ordered the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn over a memorandum detailing the legal justification for the US government’s targeted killing program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) challenge along with the New York Times and [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases. In Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital Ltd. the court heard arguments on whether a hedge fund could subpoena banks for information about Argentina’s non-US assets following the country’s default on $100 billion in sovereign debt in 2002. The subpoenas were served in 2010 [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in three cases slated for argument during the October 2014 term. In Zivotofsky v. Kerry , the court will address the constitutionality of a federal statute requiring the Secretary of State, on request, to endorse US passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad of US citizens born [...]

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Monday alleged that armed rebels engaged in ethnically targeted killings during a raid on the northern city of Bentiu last week, resulting in more than 200 civilian deaths and 400 injuries. Rebels loyal to deposed vice president Riek Marchar reportedly sought to capture Bentiu, the capital of [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Friday upheld Wisconsin’s controversial Budget Repair Bill which significantly limits the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions. Two unions representing the city of Madison and Dane County public workers filed the lawsuit in 2011, alleging that the law violated their right to freely assembly [...]

An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 23 people, alleged to be members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood , to three and a half years each in prison. The accused were imprisoned in connection with protests last November against the trial of former president Mohamed Morsi . They were found guilty of several charges , including [...]

A new anti-terrorism bill presented in the Brazilian National Congress on Saturday shortly before the 2014 World Cup is scheduled to begin in June has raised concern among human rights groups who allege the law threatens free speech and peaceful assembly. Brazilian lawmakers argue the legislation is required to fill a missing piece in the [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch discusses the US use of landmines and the possibility of the US joining the Mine Ban Treaty… Since antipersonnel landmines were banned by a majority of nations 15 years ago via an international treaty, their use even by those outside the treaty has become rare, as [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist William Partlett of Columbia University School of Law discusses the current state of the controversy in Ukraine … Constitution-making has rapidly moved to the forefront of the East-West standoff in the Ukraine. Prime Minister Arsenii Yatsenyuk recently announced an ambitious schedule for Ukrainian constitution-making that promises a final draft by September of [...]

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts denied the request of Teva Pharmaceuticals USA for a stay on the lower court ruling. The appeals court’s ruling made Teva’s Copaxone drug available to be produced in a generic form . Teva sought to have this delayed until the Supreme Court is able to hear the dispute [...]