The Arizona State Senate voted 16 to 14 to repeal an abortion ban dating back to 1864, leaving it to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs to sign the repeal into law, which she has committed to do. The State Senate’s debate was contentious, with lawmakers delivering theatrical monologues frequently punctuated by cries of protest in the [...]
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Oklahoma House passes controversial immigration bill criminalizing 'impermissible occupation'
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 4156 on Thursday by a vote of 77-20, which proposes the creation of the criminal act of impermissible occupation, targeting individuals who willfully enter and remain in Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the United States. Under the provisions of HB 4156, impermissible occupation is defined as [...]
Arizona Supreme Court determines abortion law from 1864 is enforceable
Arizona’s Supreme Court found on Tuesday that a 159-year-old law banning abortion is enforceable following the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn abortion rights case Roe v Wade, sending a 52-year-old case back to trial court. The case, Planned Parenthood v. Kristin Mayes/Hazelrigg, was initiated in 1971, two years before the US Supreme Court [...]
US federal judge dismisses Pennsylvania lawmakers' challenge to state automatic voter registration
US District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday against President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro challenging several actions to boost voter registration. The case is in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs, consisting of 27 Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers, challenged a 2021 Biden executive order and [...]
Oregon Senate passes bill to recriminalize certain drug possession crimes
The Oregon Senate passed House Bill 4002 by a vote of 21-8 Friday, which recriminalizes certain drug possession charges that Oregon voters voted to decriminalize in 2020. Under the bill, individuals charged with possession of small amounts of drugs like methamphetamine or fentanyl will face misdemeanor charges that can result in jail time. Additionally, the [...]
The US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments this week in a landmark case that will determine whether states are entitled to remove former president and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from election ballots over his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when the US Capitol was stormed by protesters. In anticipation of the [...]
In its recent Moore v. Harper decision, the US Supreme Court rejected the so-called independent state legislature theory. That theory holds that state legislatures are insulated from the ordinary exercise of state judicial review under the Elections Clause. The Elections Clause specifically provides: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, [...]
Pakistan dispatch: Jaranwala vandalism attacks spotlight controversial blasphemy laws
Law students and law graduates in Pakistan are reporting for JURIST on events in that country impacting its legal system. Izhar Ahmed Khan is a 2022 LL.B. graduate of the Pakistan College of Law (University of London International Program). He files this from Lahore. Last week Pakistan witnessed yet another tragic incident in which an [...]
US Senate Judiciary Committee advances Supreme Court ethics reform bill
After a meeting Thursday morning, the US Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that proposes ethics reforms for the Supreme Court, which has recently faced a series of scandals involving Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor and Samuel Alito. Bill S 359—also known as the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act—passed out of the Democratic-controlled [...]
Justin Lindsay is a US National Correspondent for JURIST, and a rising 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. On Monday, July 10th, two top US Senate Democrats announced they would be pushing forward a bill meant to close perceived loopholes in the federal judiciary. The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act [...]