Two major Pittsburgh health systems, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Highmark Health (Highmark) struck a deal on Monday allowing Highmark patients to utilize UPMC’s facilities. The agreement prevents expiration of a previous agreement between the two systems set to occur on June 30, 2019. Originally, a consent agreement governed the relationship between [...]

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal on Wednesday quashed former Chief Executive Donald Tsang’s conviction and sentence for misconduct in public office. This case arose when Tsang failed to declare certain dealings with a business tycoon. Tsang was arranging to live in a Shenzhen apartment owned by a company controlled by the business tycoon, but [...]

The US House Committee on Oversight and Reform voted 25-16 Wednesday to subpoena Kellyanne Conway in an attempt to compel her to testify about her alleged Hatch Act violations. Earlier this month, the Office of Special Counsel wrote to the White House claiming that Conway had committed multiple Hatch Act violations by using her government [...]

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) ruled Wednesday regarding how member states should interpret air quality regulations set up by the Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 (Directive 2008/50) on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. The judgment is in regard to [...]

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted Wednesday to reinstate the Russian delegation to the Assembly despite criticism over human rights abuses. Russia’s voting rights had been stripped in 2014 in response to the Russian Federation’s annexation of Crimea. Russia in turn paid only one-third of its membership dues that year and has [...]

Red River Women’s Clinic, the only remaining abortion clinic in North Dakota, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging two state laws that they claim compel health care professionals to provide “false, misleading, non-medical” information about reproductive health. The suit was filed alongside the American Medical Association (AMA) with help from the Center for Reproductive [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a Tennessee law that required applicants wishing to sell alcohol to maintain Tennessee residency. Tennessee currently imposes demanding residential requirements for anyone looking to participate in the distribution of alcohol in the state. Tennessee requires individuals seeking a liquor license to be in-state residence for at least two [...]

The EU Court of Justice ruled on Monday that the Polish “Law on the Supreme Court,” lowering the retirement age of judges of the Supreme Court, is contrary to EU law and principle. The Polish law on the Supreme Court lowered the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 70 to 65. According to the [...]

The US Supreme Court unanimously refused Wednesday to overturn precedent that gives power to agencies are when interpreting their own regulations. The majority opinion, authored by Justice Elena Kagan, detailed ways to constrain this heavy agency deference, commonly known as the Auer doctrine. The case, Kisor v. Wilkie, revolved around the Department of Veteran Affairs [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a mandatory minimum sentence issued at revocation of supervised release based on a new crime without a jury trial is unconstitutional. United States v. Haymond addresses the case of Andre Haymond, who was originally convicted on charges of possessing child pornography. Haymond served 38 months in prison and [...]