Texas abortion providers filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas Wednesday, challenging the legality of an executive order that they claim bans all abortions in the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued the order on Sunday. It is designed to increase medical resources to combat the Covid-19 pandemic [...]
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday postponed the national referendum that was scheduled for April 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The national referendum concerned constitutional amendments, one of which would enable Putin to run for two more terms. Putin did not announce a new date for the referendum but indicated it will depend on [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Michael Cohen’s request for early release from prison Tuesday due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Cohen is currently serving a 36-month sentence for various financial crimes, including campaign fraud and making false statements to Congress. He asked that the [...]
As part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on governments on Wednesday to take “urgent action” to protect the health and safety of people in detention and other closed facilities. Bachelet stated: Governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having [...]
A shareholder of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts filed a lawsuit against Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) Monday, alleging that he consulted private information before selling up to $1.7 million in stocks. On February 13 Burr sold between $628,000 and $1.72 million in stocks, as indicated by his Senate financial disclosure form. The transaction occurred just days [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called Tuesday for better protections against the novel coronavirus by filing a lawsuit against US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the immediate release of at-risk immigrant detainees and filing an emergency petition in Massachusetts to reduce the number of people incarcerated. The lawsuit against ICE was filed on [...]
The US Senate announced early Wednesday morning that it has reached a deal for a $2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief and economic stimulus package. Early Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took to the Senate floor to announce that they had reached a bipartisan deal. “At last, [...]
In a brief per curiam order issued Monday, Pennsylvania’s top court dismissed a recent complaint over the scope of Governor Tom Wolf’s executive order shuttering non-essential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19. The lawsuit had been filed by a gun store owner and a gun buyer, contesting that selling firearms was an essential constitutional [...]
Amnesty International and Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) shared concerns Tuesday on overcrowded Pakistani prisons amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The report specifically mentioned a prisoner that tested positive for COVID-19 after being arrested in Italy. Italy deported the prisoner to Pakistan, and Pakistan placed the prisoner among 3,500 uninfected inmates in a jail barracks. Authorities eventually [...]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Monday for “an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.” The stark language comes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically altered life in nations the world over, including many engaged in ongoing armed conflicts. The UN leader characterized the virus as a problem faced [...]
