Megan Crouch, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Class of 2013, spent the summer working at the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre. She writes on the ability of rural villagers to access the justice system in Malawi and argues that new legislation to address this issue might improve the situation, if implemented properly… The number [...]

The Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles on Wednesday upheld a $13.8 million judgment against Philip Morris in the death of 45-year-old lifelong smoker Betty Bullock. Family of the deceased won the case after accusing the company of fraud by using deceptive marketing tactics. Philip Morris argued that the punitive judgment should simply [...]

After a day’s deliberation, the Council of States , India’s upper house of parliament voted 189 – 17 on Thursday to impeach Justice Soumitra Sen , a justice of the Calcutta High Court accused of embezzling funds. Impeachment hearings began Wednesday. Sen was charged with misappropriation of funds and misrepresentation of facts. Sen, in his [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights filed suit Monday challenging the practice of shackling immigration detainees in court. The suit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California , claims that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Immigration and [...]

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Thursday began the retrial of Ramush Haradinaj , a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander and the former prime minister of Kosovo, who was acquitted of all charges in 2008. The ICTY appeals chamber overturned the acquittals of Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj in July [...]

Syrian government forces cracking down on the opposition may be committing crimes against humanity, according to a report published Thursday by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) . The 22-page report, prepared by the the Fact-finding Mission on Syria, contains allegations of summary executions, killing of unarmed protesters and torture [...]

The Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed a right to die suit by the Farewell Foundation for lack of standing on Wednesday but encouraged the group to intervene in a similar suit later this year. The group reported that Judge Lynn Smith was very respectful of the questions they raised but dismissed the suit due [...]

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday signed a reform to the Mexican Constitution that eliminates the president’s ability to use a pocket veto to prevent the passage of a bill. Originally, the president could kill the legislation by ignoring it for 30 days. The constitutional reform now requires the president to take action on a [...]

More than 26,000 iPhone users in South Korea joined in a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday against Apple’s local headquarters for collecting location data without their consent. The class is composed of individuals who purchased an iPhone prior to May 1, and each plaintiff is seeking 1 million won (USD $933) in damages . One [...]

Impeachment hearings began Wednesday in the Council of States , India’s upper house of parliament, against Justice Soumitra Sen , a justice of the Calcutta High Court . Sen is charged with misappropriation of funds and misrepresentation of facts. The motions for impeachment were submitted after an official inquiry ended with Supreme Court judge B [...]