In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the US Supreme Court upheld provisions of a restrictive Arizona voting law, stating that the provisions do not violate the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion. The legal challenge focused on two provisions: “precinct-based election-day voting and early mail-in voting.” The first [...]

Canada announced the first phase of easing of border restrictions on Monday, as a result of the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in Canadian provinces. Beginning July 5, eligible, fully vaccinated travelers will no longer have to quarantine in a government-designated hotel. But eligible travelers currently only include Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those falling [...]

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed executive orders (here and here) on Friday to lift emergency restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. As of June 15, restrictions including such as physical distancing and capacity limits will be lifted as cases and deaths from coronavirus continue to decrease. Of the 58 Californian executive orders related [...]

Nigeria indefinitely suspended social network service Twitter on Friday, following Twitter’s removal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s post for violating rules of service. The ban was announced in a series of posts by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s [...]

The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine adopted amendments regarding international crime and humanitarian laws on Thursday. The new law, Bill 2689, will help provide legal accountability for war crimes committed in the occupied territory of Crimea. The bill passed with 248 members out of 363 voting in favor of adoption. The bill amended provisions of [...]

A Venezuelan court seized the headquarters of El Nacional newspaper on Friday after the newspaper failed to pay a USD $13.3 million fine in a defamation lawsuit. The case was brought by Diosdado Cabello, the Vice President of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, after the newspaper reprinted an article linking Cabello to drug [...]

In a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court held Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cannot demand equitable monetary relief under section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA). The case involved Scott Tucker, payday loan businessman and convicted racketeer, and his AMG Capital Management company. The FTC initially levied a $1.27 billion fine [...]

A jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death sparked widespread outrage and protests when a video was shared online showing Chauvin kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. Chauvin was charged in the Hennepin County District Court with [...]

The French National Assembly on Saturday voted to ban domestic flight routes that can be traversed by train within two-and-a-half hours. The measure is part of Bill 3875, titled “on the fight against climate change and strengthening resilience in the face of its effects.” While the bill is part of a larger effort to reduce [...]

The US Supreme Court Monday dismissed a case stemming from former president Donald Trump’s Twitter account as moot. The lawsuit was filed after Trump blocked Twitter users from accessing his account. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had held that Trump’s Twitter account constituted a public forum, and as such, he had violated the [...]