The New Mexico Senate passed a Union Security Agreements bill with a vote of 23-19 on Sunday that could ban local “right-to-work” ordinances. Ten different counties throughout the state have currently adopted ordinances that prevent employees from being required to join a union or non-union members from paying union fees. Adoption of the bill would [...]
A federal judge granted a motion on Friday to expand the class definition in a class action lawsuit against the Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency. In the original complaint, the plaintiff, Ms. L, sought to reunite with her seven-year-old daughter after they both fled violence from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Upon seeking asylum in [...]
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday reversing an Obama-era order requiring intelligence agencies to report deaths from airstrikes in noncombat conflict zones. The new order revokes the requirement put into place by Barack Obama’s executive order that was originally intended to increase transparency between the government and the public after the [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Rimini Street v. Oracle USA, Inc. that Oracle was not entitled to a $12.8 million award for certain litigation expenses beyond what is considered “full costs” of attorneys fees under 28 USC §§ 1821 and 1920. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit previously ruled in Oracle’s [...]
UN housing crisis expert Leilani Farha on Monday criticized human rights leaders who have failed to hold themselves accountable for inadequate housing rights. The UN Special Rapporteur previously urged the leaders of the G-20 summit to address the global housing crisis. Following the summit, Farha presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council in [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David Boyd, said Monday that air pollution contributes to six million deaths a year. Boyd put out a call for input that was received by over 30 civil society representatives and international organizations who participated in a public consultation in Geneva last October. In order to [...]
US District Judge Fred Biery on Wednesday blocked an initiative led by Acting Texas Secretary of State David Whitley to flag registered Texas voters suspected of being non-citizens. In January the Texas Secretary of State’s office issued an election advisory that conferred with the Department of Public Safety records to confirm Texas voters’ citizenship status. This [...]
The US House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday focused on closing loopholes in the current background check process by requiring that all firearm sales include a background check. Current gun control law only mandates that licensed gun dealers conduct background checks for individuals wanting to buy a firearm. The Bipartisan Background Check Act, passed [...]
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Sunday the relocation of the US’ Futenma Airbase to Henoko would continue despite a referendum vote opposing the move. The Okinawa prefecture held a referendum vote on whether the US military base should relocate to from Ginowan to Henoko. After the final count on Sunday, approximately 70 percent of [...]
The Trump administration issued a rule through the Department of Health and Human Services on Friday to limit federal funding for health clinics that provide abortion referrals and services. The rule makes changes to the Title X Public Health Service Act by prohibiting abortion as a method of family planning and preventing Title X funds [...]
