The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday issued a letter to each school district in Alabama to serve as a reminder that they must provide equal access to public education for all children, regardless of their immigration status. The letter, authored by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez , was sent because of the potential [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases on Tuesday. In Rehberg v. Paulk , the court considered whether government officials who act as “complaining witnesses” to initiate a prosecution by providing false testimony in a grand jury hearing are immune to civil suits. The government argued that a government agent is entitled [...]

The US government on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) alleging that Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation (Allied) and two of its top executives misled the government into believing that its loan qualified for federal insurance. In particular, the US claims that Allied engaged [...]

The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh (ICTB) on Tuesday ordered the prosecution to submit formal charges against four leaders of Jamaat e Islam (JI) who are suspected of war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan. The ICTB, a special court established by the Bangladeshi government and not endorsed by any international [...]

JURIST Legal News and Research Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Shames as Executive Director. In this role, Mr. Shames will oversee JURIST’s business and development efforts, including outreach and educational initiatives, fundraising, and corporate management. Mr. Shames will also serve as JURIST’s in-house general counsel. “Matt brings to JURIST a [...]

UN experts expressed concerns Tuesday over human rights restrictions on Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in China’s Sichuan province. UN experts are concerned about reports of heavy security measures surrounding the Kirti monastery, which houses approximately 2,500 Buddhist monks. UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Heiner Bielefeldt stated: Intimidation of the lay and monastic [...]

The US Sentencing Commission (USSC) released new guidelines Tuesday that will reduce the federal minimum sentencing guidelines for those convicted on charges related to crack cocaine. They also published a 645-page report assessing the impact of statutory minimum sentences on federal sentencing , specifically targeting those that the commission finds to be too severe and [...]

The UN agencies dealing with fighting crime and aiding refugees signed a joint agreement on Tuesday to work more closely to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking . The memorandum, signed by Yury Fedotov, the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees [...]

Pirates off the Somalia coast have increased their area of operation and use of violence despite unprecedented efforts to reduce piracy, a UN official said Monday. Assistant Secretary-General for Political AffairsTaye-Brook Zerihoun told the UN Security Council that in order to successfully combat piracy, member states must increase security and legal action against pirates and [...]

The Ugandan government is unlawfully infringing on its citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, according to an Amnesty International (AI) report released Tuesday. The report focuses on Uganda’s increasing restrictions against freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of assembly and the use of force against citizens and journalists who participate [...]