The European Court of Human Rights on Friday dismissed an attempt by 33 defendant governments to challenge the accelerated status of a climate change case brought against them by six Portuguese youth activists. The activists claim that the countries signed the 2015 Paris Agreement but have failed to “comply with their commitments in order to [...]

An independent investigation released on Monday found that Aurora, Colorado, police officers had no legal basis to stop, frisk, and use a chokehold on Elijah McClain. McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died after an August 2019 encounter with police and paramedics during which he was restrained and sedated. The report was commissioned by the City [...]

The Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) on Thursday sentenced seven soldiers for attacking journalists outside of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights office in Kampala on February 17. Flavia Byekwaso, the spokesperson of the UPDF, called the sentences a “deterrent measure to other members of the force not to engage in acts prejudicial to [...]

Indian politicians and climate activists on Monday condemned the arrest of 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi on charges of sedition for her alleged involvement with a Google document “toolkit” containing resources to support the protesting Indian farmers. The toolkit garnered attention after it was tweeted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Police believe that Ravi [...]

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday ruled an Ohio state law mandating the political affiliation of members of the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC) is not unconstitutional. The law mandates the installation of three members from each of the two major political parties in the Ohio state legislature and one unaffiliated member. Members are suggested [...]

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal denied pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai’s request for bail on Tuesday. Lai was arrested in August under the controversial National Security Law (NSL) and charged with fraud and “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” The court granted and subsequently revoked Lai’s bail [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled Friday that it has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine. The ICC was established in 2002 and prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed around the world. In 2018, Palestine referred possible crimes to the ICC Prosecutor for investigation. In 2020, the Prosecutor sought a ruling of [...]

New Mexico state senator Linda Lopez introduced leglsiation Monday that includes sweeping police reform. According to Mapping Police Violence, New Mexico had the highest rate of police killings per one million people between January 2013 and December 2019. Senate Bill 227 would impose stricter restrictions on when officers can use deadly force: A law enforcement [...]

Katrin Helling-Plahr of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) presented legislation Friday to regulate assisted suicide in Germany. Helling-Plahr partnered with fellow Bundestag members Dr. Karl Lauterbach of the Social Democrat Party (SDP) and Dr. Petra Sitte of the Left Party to draft a plan “for people who want to die independently and of their own [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition for certiorari by Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley regarding Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s COVID-19 reopening orders. Sisolak’s May Emergency Directive 021 allowed businesses like amusement parks, museums and gyms to open at 50 percent capacity but specified that religious institutions could host no more than 50 people [...]