The US Justice Department (DOJ) Thursday released a report detailing how prosecutors and sheriffs in Orange County, California, improperly used a jailhouse informant program in ways that routinely violated the constitutional rights of criminal defendants. The report determined, “there is reasonable cause to believe that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) and the Orange [...]
Search Results for: Agent Orange
US Senate passes bill to assist veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
The US Senate Wednesday advanced the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2021 (HR 3967) which will help veterans injured due to exposure to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The PACT Act plans to provide “health care, presumption of service-connection, research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who [...]
The Proposed Definition of "Ecocide": An Attempt to Constitute Fifth International Crime?
The Independent Expert Panel (IEP), formulated for articulating the definition of the term “ecocide”, proposed a definition to construct a cornerstone international crime of ecocide that demonstrates a significant belief in international criminal law’s regulatory prospects. However, the proposed definition lacks the necessary rationale, and the architects of the draft hardly offer legal practitioners any [...]
Supreme Court allows case against US for causing toxic waste pollution in Guam
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Guam v. United States that a case against the US for causing toxic waste pollution in Guam may proceed. This case originated from a lawsuit by Guam against the US accusing the Navy of causing the contamination at the Ordot Dump. Guam alleged that the US was responsible [...]
Interpreting the word games at play in workplace safety guidelines, President Trump’s recent executive order on the food supply chain, and company motives is something like unpacking a Russian doll. The name of these Russian nesting dolls is Matryoshka or Babushka. Babushka means grandmother or old woman. This name is ironic because a lot of [...]
Federal appeals court rules for Vietnam veterans in disability benefit dispute with VA
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Wednesday ruled that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must pay disability benefits to blue water navy Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. Alfred Procopio, Jr. served aboard the USS Intrepid during the Vietnam War but never set foot on land. Procopio twice sought [...]
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari in four cases Friday in addition to the Maryland cross case. In Smith v. Berryhill the court will answer the question of “whether the Appeals Council’s decision to reject a disability claim on the ground that the claimant’s appeal was untimely is a ‘final decision’ subject to judicial review under [...]
FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday that the FBI will continue investigating mosques when there may be evidence or information regarding criminal wrongdoings. Mueller's defense of such investigations followed a complaint sent to US Attorney...
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Friday upheld the dismissal of a case brought by approximately three million Vietnamese plaintiffs against more than 30 American chemical companies for producing and...