Who is Behind the Bench? Insights on the US Judiciary with Retired Judge Katherine Mader
Now, perhaps more than ever, people in the United States are questioning the role of our judicial branch of government. With the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy, conversations about judges’ impartiality have become mainstream. These conversations are at [...]
Congress launches investigation into Fort Hood Army Base following deaths
The US House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced in a press release Tuesday that it is opening an investigation into Fort Hood Army Base following multiple soldier deaths and reports of sexual assault. Rep. Stephen Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, and Rep. Jackie Speier, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Armed [...]
Massachusetts, A Leader in Transgender Human Rights Protections
In the recent voting, Massachusetts heartily defeated a referendum that would have rolled back state transgender protections. In 2004, Massachusetts was the first state to recognize marriage equality. Subsequently, the Commonwealth enacted legislation to advance protections for members of the LGBTQ community. In 2011, Massachusetts passed legislation protecting those who identify as non-straight from discrimination [...]
Guinea government announces progress toward trial of stadium massacre suspects
The Guinean Minister of Justice announced Friday that a location has been chosen and a provisional budget drafted for the trial of suspects implicated in a violent crackdown on political demonstrators at a Conakry stadium in September 2009. According to the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry charged with investigating the massacre, at least 156 people [...]
When considering the comments in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with the perspective of thirteen years since their landfall, I’ll paraphrase Mark Twain’s comment about an erroneously pre-mature 1897 obituary: “the reports of death are greatly exaggerated.” The perspective of time and the restoration of many services to the Hurricane Katrina and Rita-stricken Gulf Coast reveal that matters [...]
Report: US military continued funding Afghanistan units despite reports of human rights violations
A newly declassified investigation has revealed that the US military knew about at least 75 reported human rights abuses by Afghan military and police but used a legal loophole to keep funding the Afghan units. These human rights abuses included...
Here's the international legal news we covered this week: The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday in favor of the Yukon First Nations in their action to fight the Yukon government's proposed plan to allow further economic development...
Here's the domestic legal news we covered this week: A US District judge declared a mistrial in New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez's federal corruption trial on Thursday after questioning the 12 jurors. The US District Court for...
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has expressed alarm at the deteriorating condition of South Sudan's security in light of the recent attacks carried out in the the town of Pajok. UNHCR said that homes have...
The Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said Tuesday that there is a need to establish courts and bring prosecutions against those who have committed rights abuses. Yasmin Sooka stated ...
