The Shawnee County District Attorney filed criminal voter fraud charges against US Representative Steve Watkins (R-KA) on Tuesday, following an investigation by the county Sheriff’s Office. District Attorney Mike Kagay filed four separate charges against Watkins: (1) interference with law enforcement and providing false information; (2) voting without being qualified; (3) unlawful advance voting; and [...]

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an anti-BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) bill into law on Monday, preventing the state government from contracting with companies that boycott Israel. The bill, titled the “Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act,” applies to companies that have at least 10 employees and make more than $100,000 annually. Missouri is the thirty-second state [...]

The highest court of Bahrain has reaffirmed a lower court decision to execute two protesters despite evidence that suggests that their confessions were unlawfully extracted. Hussain Moosa and Mohammed Ramadan, members of Bahrain’s Shiite majority, were sentenced to death in 2014 for planting a bomb that killed one police officer and injured several others during [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Dakota Access Pipeline can continue operating amid legal proceedings. The order rejects a lower court’s decision last week to shut down the pipeline as owner Energy Transfer LP faces legal challenges from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Tuesday’s decision emphasizes [...]

Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a bill on Monday banning the so-called “panic defense” in court, meaning that defendants can no longer blame victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity for their violent actions. Colorado will become the eleventh US state to ban the defense, following states such as Rhode Island, New Jersey, California and New [...]

A Pennsylvania-based environmental nonprofit filed suit Monday against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning the agency’s interpretation of a section of the Clean Water Act. Established in 1988, the Deleware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) works to “protect and restore the Deleware River, its tributaries, habitats and resources” throughout Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Deleware. [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot withhold federal grant money from California sanctuary cities. The DOJ has provided Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, which fund state and local criminal justice programs since 2006. This fund is the “primary provider” of federal [...]

US District Judge Steven Jones on Monday struck down Georgia’s latest anti-abortion law as unconstitutional. The Georgia General Assembly approved House Bill 481, also known as the Living Infant Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, in March 2019. HB 481 changed several aspects of already existing Georgia abortion law, including the definitions of “natural person” and [...]

The state of New Mexico filed suit Monday against the New Mexico Civil Guard (NMCG), claiming the militia group incited a shooting at a peaceful protest in June. The NMCG is not affiliated with the government, either through the military or the police. NMCG has purportedly threatened public safety numerous times. The complaint alleges that [...]

US District Judge Allison D. Burroughs announced Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to rescind its controversial new rule that would have prohibited international students taking university courses entirely online during the COVID-19 pandemic from staying in the US. The parties in Harvard v. US Department of Homeland Security informed the court that [...]