Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki Thursday said that officals may fast-track Moldova’s application for accession to the European Union. This news comes as Moldova fears being drawn into Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference held with Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Morawiecki stated, “I believe an accelerated path is possible.” He also [...]

Tennessee lawmakers Thursday voted to expel two Democratic lawmakers for participating in a March 30 protest in the capitol, in which lawmakers joined students and activists in calling for an end to gun violence. Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson – coined the “Tennessee Three” – joined protestors to push for stricter gun [...]

The Biden administration Thursday released a proposed federal rule that would prohibit schools from “banning transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity.” The proposed rule would change the Title IX Regulations regarding student participation in school athletics. The rule would address student eligibility in playing sports. Under the proposed rule, “policies [...]

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thursday renewed calls for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine as 18 million civilians require assistance as Russia’s war continues into its second year. The call comes only a few weeks after a UN human rights commission discovered evidence of “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks” against civilians in violation of international humanitarian law. [...]

The US Department of Justice Wednesday reached a $144.5 million settlement with families of those injured and killed in the 2017 mass shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. In 2017 Devin Kelley opened fire during a church service, killing 26 and injuring 22 others. Kelley later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. [...]

Police in the Russian city of Kazan Wednesday arrested a publicly out gay couple, Haoyang Xu and Gela Gogishvili, for their alleged breach of the country’s “gay propaganda” law. According to a statement from their lawyer, the two men are accused of violating the propaganda law because of videos uploaded to the couple’s YouTube and [...]

Oksana Bidnenko is a staff correspondent for JURIST. She is a Ukrainian law student at the Riga Graduate School of Law in Riga, Latvia, and is currently an exchange student at the University of Oslo, Norway.  Last Saturday, April 1, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), Metropolitan Pavel, was [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday announced it had filed a lawsuit to block the application of a legal opinion in connection with Idaho’s abortion laws. The opinion expands the state’s abortion restrictions and criminal penalties. The provision of abortion care information to women seeking the procedure outside the state is now prohibited. [...]

Mykyta Vorobiov is a student at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He is currently in Zagreb, Croatia.  At the end of February, the Croatian Parliament adopted a law to help speed up reconstruction in the earthquake-affected areas. In 2020, Croatia experienced a few significant earthquakes, and for three years, the country has been unsuccessfully [...]

In a resolution passed on Tuesday, the UN Human rights council (UNHCR) voted to extend its international inquiry into human rights abuses in Ukraine. The inquiry which has been ongoing since early 2022 reviews potential breaches in human rights in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The purpose that was set out by the original inquiry vote [...]