A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday temporarily ordered the Trump administration to reinstate employees and restore funding and programming to federally funded networks under the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). USAGM is an independent executive agency that oversees multiple networks to engage the world in “freedom [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case concerning the viability of religious opt-outs from LGBTQ+ curriculum in public schools. In the brief for the petitioners, the parents argue that “gender and sexuality are topics of enormous religious importance” and that “decisions related to these topics can have life-changing [...]
On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court heard a challenge brought by parents arguing that a Maryland School Board violated the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause by not allowing children to opt out of exposure to books that portray gay, lesbian, and trans folks as worthy of dignity and equality. There are numerous complex legal doctrines [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned that the latest wave of threats on journalists and media outlets in Indonesia has escalated, leading to a severe impact on press freedom across the country. According to HRW, these actions are against the fundamental principle of democracy and have led to nationwide outrage, with journalists criticizing the [...]
Two Israeli attacks in Lebanon between September and November 2024 appear to be indiscriminate attacks against civilians to be investigated as war crimes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed on Wednesday. HRW suggests the two Israeli strikes on the town of Younine are evidence of the failure of Israeli forces to distinguish military targets from civilians. [...]
Human Rights Watch submitted recommendations on Tuesday to Panama’s Ministry of the Environment regarding a draft executive decree that would regulate national, sectoral, and municipal responses to climate change and adaptation, the biodiversity crisis, and the degradation of ecosystems. The submission emphasizes the need for a rights-based approach to planned communities facing climate-related displacement for [...]
Harvard University filed a lawsuit in US federal court on Monday seeking to block the Trump administration’s freeze on more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding to the university, arguing that the government’s action violates its Constitutional rights and undermines the autonomy of higher education institutions. The complaint, filed in US District Court for [...]
Twenty eight students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida, and Florida State University (FSU) demanded Monday that Governor Ron DeSantis oppose efforts to lower the state’s minimum age to purchase a firearm after another deadly shooting last week. The letter sent Monday calls for DeSantis to reject attempts in Florida to [...]
The US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge Monday to an appellate court decision that struck down a Minnesota law prohibiting adults aged 18-20 from obtaining a permit to own guns and carry them in public. Second Amendment Foundation founder and executive vice president Alan M. Gottlieb in a statement: “We are cautiously optimistic [...]
As the Trump administration moves forward with its rapid efforts to deport those immigrants—with or without status—whom it deems dangerous or politically problematic, rights groups and immigration lawyers have repeatedly petitioned US courts to ensure due process for all at risk of deportation. These efforts have created a web of overlapping cases that are shaping [...]
