In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, Vermont passed a police bill that prohibits the use of chokeholds and requires officers to wear body cameras. The General Assembly passed the bill unanimously and Governor Phil Scott signed it into law on July 13, 2020. At the bill’s signing, Governor Scott stated: Exactly eight [...]
With each passing day that the coronavirus pandemic wears on, there are new statistics in the news making headlines, not just regarding the health and well-being of citizens all across the country, but also about which latest retailer is filing for bankruptcy. This May, clothing giants JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, and J.Crew all announced they are [...]
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg rejected a request for referral under article 43 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Convention) by Italy last week making the Chamber’s October 7th decision in the case Marcello Viola v. Italy a final judgment. The ECHR has decided that an “irreducible [...]
Chief Hinga Norman, head of the brutal Civil Defense Force, during the monstrous civil war in the West African country of Sierra Leone—part of larger unrest that engulfed neighboring Liberia and others—admonished his men to kill every living thing down to the ants in Pujehun. That they did. This was emblematic of the brutality that [...]
In the first week of August 2019, the Indian Parliament passed, and the President signed legislation to remove Articles 370 and 35A of the India Constitution. Article 370 preserves the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a princely state that has been forcibly divided up between India and Pakistan. Article 35A empowers the J&K State [...]
Overview Republic Act No. 11293, or the Philippine Innovation Act, was signed into law by the Philippine President on April 17, 2019. However, the Act was released to the public only on July 16, 2019. The Philippine Innovation Act aims to promote a culture of strategic planning and innovation in the country through improving innovation [...]
Though rarely understood, there can be no greater form of power on this earth than power over death. Ominously, this always-preeminent form of power in world politics remains unrecognized by American foreign policy-makers. The perilous result is that this country’s counter-insurgent strategies will become less and less adequate. It’s not an enviable situation for the [...]
On the last day of its 2018-2019 Term, the Supreme Court decided in Department of Commerce v. New York that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross could not add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census solely on the basis of the “contrived” and “pretextual” reason he cited (the need to better enforce the Voting Rights [...]
Targeted killing campaigns are still accelerating under the Trump administration, with fewer constraints and even less transparency. More precisely, it seems that the Obama-era Presidential Policy Guidance has been relaxed in two very meaningful ways: targets of “kill missions” are being expanded to include more Jihadist “Foot Soldiers” (rather than just identifiable terrorist leaders) and directed drone [...]
On April 16, 2019, Governor Jarod Polis signed into law SB19-181, a bill that reforms oil and gas regulation in Colorado in several important ways. It’s a remarkable achievement for House Speaker KC Becker and other supporters who bent but did not break in the face of strong opposition from the oil and gas industry. [...]
