Legal News

Speaking Monday in a UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) debate on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that governments providing healthcare and social protection to all citizens would be able to mitigate the shock of COVID-19, but other countries would need to cease human rights violations [...]

Four rights groups filed a complaint Monday against US migrant detention center Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC), alleging “medical neglect” and a lack of COVID-19 safety measures. Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and South Georgia Immigrant Support Network filed the complaint based on allegations made by a nurse who [...]

The Delhi High Court on Saturday announced that it has reduced the number of physical hearings it will have due to an “alarming” rise in COVID-19 cases and a majority of lawyers preferring virtual hearings. Physical hearings started on September 1 and will not be completely discontinued. Starting September 15, “one division bench and two [...]

Advocates for prison reform commemorated the Sunday, September 13 anniversary of the Attica prison uprising with protests in New York City and Albany, calling for improved treatment of incarcerated people. Forty-nine years ago, inmates at Attica Correctional Facility in New York, who described the conditions of their confinement as little short of torture, led an [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled Monday that Governor Tom Wolf’s closing of “non-life-sustaining” businesses and restrictions on gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic were unconstitutional. Butler, Greene, Fayette and Washington counties sued the governor, claiming the shutdown orders were unconstitutional. The court held that “(1) the congregate [...]

Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Loretta Rush tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. According to a press release from the court, Rush was infected with COVID-19 after coming into contact with a family member who also had the virus. Rush has self-quarantined since discovering her family member tested positive for COVID-19. She will [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday declined to expand voting by mail to younger residents of Texas. In an effort to mitigate the detrimental effects and potential spread of COVID-19, many states have expanded their vote-by-mail procedures for the November presidential election. This present lawsuit arose as a challenge to [...]

The UK Ministry of Justice announced temporary legislation on Sunday that will extend the time that defendants can be held in custody while awaiting trial. This temporary legislation is meant to decrease pressure on courts from a backlog of more than 43,000 cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, defendants can be held for 182 [...]

France’s highest court for administrative justice, the Conseil d’Etat, issued two orders Sunday declaring that face masks can be made mandatory in large areas with a high risk of COVID-19 contamination. In a press statement, the court said that “the wearing of the mask can be imposed so that this obligation is consistent and easy to [...]

US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that the Trump administration should resume issuing diversity visas to immigrants from underrepresented countries. The ruling partially lifted a freeze on a wide range of immigrant and temporary visa processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The freeze was enacted in June, which [...]