Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a moratorium on scheduling federal executions on Thursday, “pending review of policies and procedures.” Garland cited the inconsistent application of the death penalty, particularly leading to a disparate impact on persons of color, and a large number of exonerations in capital cases as reasons necessitating the review of its application. [...]

The New York State Assembly approved the Gender Recognition Act Thursday, which, if approved by the governor, will provide for the “sex designation of M, F, or X as certified by the applicant , with no additional documentation required.” In addition to creating a gender-neutral designation for applicants’ sex, the bill provides that an individual [...]

Paul Hodgkins of Tampa, Florida, became the second person charged in connection with the storming of the Capitol on January 6 to plead guilty Wednesday. Hodgkins originally faced charges for five offenses including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. However, he pleaded guilty to the lone [...]

Attorney and former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz Wednesday filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the creators of Filthy Rich, a four-part documentary series on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, for their portrayal of Dershowitz in the series. Dershowitz, who has worked for high-profile clients such as Mike Tyson, OJ Simpson, and Epstein, was accused [...]

Judge Brian Amero of Fulton County, Georgia, granted the request of an independent group of election watchers “to inspect and scan the November 3, 2020, general election absentee ballots that are sealed.” The group, called VOTER GA, is led by Garland Favorito and describes themselves as an “anti-fraud” group. Though the recounting of the ballots [...]

Pennsylvania voters made the commonwealth the first to restrict the governor’s authority during an emergency disaster situation by passing the Legislative Resolution to Extend or Terminate Emergency Declaration Amendment and the Emergency Declarations Amendment Tuesday. The first of these constitutional amendments provides that the Pennsylvania General Assembly may pass a resolution, not able to be [...]

The US Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Association, a case that presents the issue of “hether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.” The case, which concerns Mississippi’s ban on non-emergency abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, will allow the Supreme Court to reconsider its rulings in Roe [...]

The French National Assembly passed Bill 609 Wednesday, “relating to the management of the exit from the health crisis.” The bill provides that, beginning on June 9, France’s Prime Minister may “ake the access of people to certain places, establishments or events involving large gatherings of people for leisure activities or trade fairs or exhibitions subject [...]

The South Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill Friday that would enable convicted individuals to elect for execution by firing squad, rather than electrocution or lethal injection. The bill passed by a vote of 66-43 and requires that, if an individual waives his right to choose, execution will be administered by electrocution. A similar [...]

The US Senate passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on Thursday with an overwhelmingly bi-partisan 94-1 vote, acknowledging the increase in discriminatory acts towards Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill if enacted into law will establish a new position within the US Department of Justice to “facilitate the [...]