Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Thursday signed Senate Bill No. 4, which incorporates LGBTQ rights into Michigan’s civil rights law. This bill broadens the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), which was passed in 1976 and drafted by Mel Larsen (Republican) and Daisy Elliot (Democrat). The act originally prohibited discriminatory practices or policies against individuals based on [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is seeking the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, according to a statement released by the court Friday. ICC judges are also seeking the arrest of Maria Lvova-Belova, the Putin administration’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights. Both Russian officials stand [...]

The Biden administration Thursday filed an amicus brief in Suncor Energy Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County on behalf of Colorado municipalities seeking damages against oil companies for “climate-change related injuries to property and residents.” The administration urged the US Supreme Court to reject the oil companies’ request to move the case from [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Thursday said Belarus must end human rights abuses taking place within the country. In his statement, Türk called for the cessation of “systemic repression of perceived critics,” and the immediate release of “all detainees held on political grounds.” Türk’s statement comes in response to a report detailing [...]

The government of Queensland, Australia Thursday passed a series of youth-focused crime laws, contained in the Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023, despite three days of debate on the matter and strong opposition by human rights advocates. The bill—which will be applicable to youths aged 10 to 17 years of age—includes a myriad of new offenses [...]

Three former staff members of a mental hospital in Virginia were arrested and charged Thursday with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who was brought to the institution from jail earlier this month. According to Dinwiddie County Commonwealth Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, Irvo Otieno, 28, passed away on March 6 while [...]

Following allegations of discrimination that gave rise to an investigation by the US Department of Justice Civil Liberties Division, a Vermont school district on Thursday reached a settlement agreement. The American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Vermont division filed a complaint with the state’s human rights commission stating that a Black student had been harassed and discriminated [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday said that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) should utilise the approved World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund to compensate victims of human rights abuses related to the 2022 World Cup. FIFA came under worldwide scrutiny and condemnation for its exploitation of labor protection laws in Qatar during the [...]

The North Dakota Supreme Court Thursday upheld a preliminary injunction on the state’s abortion ban while litigation on the matter proceeds. The injunction stops enforcement of N.D.C. § 12.1-31-12, which went into effect after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and found that there is no federal right to abortion in [...]

The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) Thursday released data showing that the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) rejected over half of the CCRB’s disciplinary recommendations in 2022. Commissioner Keechant Sewell has closed more civilian complaints against officers than former commissioner Dermot F. Shea. However, Sewell followed less than [...]