The Center for American Progress (CAP) released a report on Wednesday criticizing the tide of recently-passed state voter ID laws as an attempt by conservatives and lobbyists to “return to past practices of voter suppression to preserve their political power.” The report details new restrictions on registration in six states and laws in nine states [...]
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The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday sentenced reputed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to 25 years imprisonment. Bout, 45, was convicted in November on four counts of conspiracy in relation to his proposed sale of anti-aircraft missiles to drug enforcement informants posing as potential buyers for the guerrilla [...]
The Supreme Court of Illinois ruled Thursday that a challenge to a ban on assault weapons can continue, reversing two lower court rulings dismissing the challenge. The Cook County ordinance in question prohibits the possession and sale of “assault weapons.” The ordinance bans high-capacity, rapid-fire rifles and pistols and was amended in 2006 to include [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday overturned an order dismissing a $1 billion copyright infringement suit against Google, by Viacom , for Google’s YouTube service. The lower court initially dismissed Viacom’s suit in June 2010 finding that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) protected Google because it provided a “safe [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) responded to a request by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to explain whether federal courts could overturn laws passed by Congress. The federal court made the request on Tuesday in response to comments last week from US President Barack Obama urging “unelected” courts not to [...]
JURIST Columnist Volha Samasiuk is an LL.M. Candidate from the University of Arkansas School of Law, and she was formerly a legal consultant for the Belarus Food Safety Improvement Project. Here she discusses food import laws in the US and EU, and their impact on food exporters in developing and transitional economies…
JURIST Guest Columnist Craig Jackson of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law says that the criticism of recent comments by President Obama on the role of judicial review in the health care litigation have been unduly harsh…
Chief Judge James Ware of the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday declared that the denial of insurance benefits to the same-sex spouse of a federal court employee is discriminatory . Specifically, Ware ruled that the California Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) had discriminated against law clerk Christopher Nathan [...]
The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang said Wednesday that Chad has made significant progress in its human rights improvements, but that the Chadian government must continue to work on key shortcomings in order to ensure the rights of its citizens. Kang cited food insecurity, violence against women, forced evictions and problems [...]
Suriname lawmakers approved legislation Wednesday that pardons President Desi Bouterse for offenses committed in defense of the state during an earlier dictatorship, despite opposition arguments that the president’s trial should continue. The National Assembly approved the legislation by a vote of 28-12 which amends the country’s current amnesty law. Bouterse seized control of Suriname during [...]
