Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the nomination of Ontario Superior Court of Justice Judge Michelle O’Bonsawin, to the nation’s highest court on Friday. O’Bonsawin, an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation, will be the first indigenous justice at the Supreme Court. This nomination would fill the vacancy to be created by the upcoming [...]

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday to give the federal government additional powers to quell the “Freedom Convoy” protests that has now entered the third week with no end in sight, but Trudeau explicitly ruled out a military response. The Emergencies Act (“the Act”) can be invoked to grant “temporary [...]

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an injunction on Friday ordering the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protesters to end the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge in the City of Windsor, which has disrupted cross-border transportation between the US and Canada. Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz gave the injunction order earlier in the day and it came [...]

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the EU on Thursday to increase pressure on the Sri Lankan government to reform its controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and ensure its compliance with international standards. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry (“the Ministry”) announced a proposed amendment to the PTA on Monday, which it hailed as the [...]

The Karnataka High Court issued an interim order on Thursday temporarily restraining all students in the state, “regardless of their religion or faith,” from wearing Bhagwa (saffron shawls), scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like in classrooms until it issues a judgment on the merits on five petitions submitted by female Muslim students of Government [...]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed several sanctions waivers on Friday related to Iran’s atomic program reversing former President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the same. The move is being seen as an attempt to persuade Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal was [...]

The Canadian Armed Forces on Thursday discharged 58 individuals and issued “Notice of Intent” to discharge to 246 others for their refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, 66 other unvaccinated individuals have left voluntarily, exacerbating the increasing shortage of personnel amidst a growing list of requests for domestic assistance and international instability. This development [...]

India Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a series of tax reform measures on Tuesday as part of the nation’s 2022 annual budget. While the measures do not propose a change in the income tax slabs, they propose a new tax regime on transfers of cryptocurrencies and include various incentives such as increased deductions for government [...]

JURIST is launching a new series of dispatches from major US states written by JURIST correspondents “on the ground” in those jurisdictions. JURIST Operations Director Ram Eachambadi files this report from Los Angeles. Earlier this month, Los Angeles County filed a petition in California Superior Court to hold Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva in [...]

JURIST is launching a new series of dispatches from major US states written by JURIST correspondents “on the ground” in those jurisdictions. JURIST Operations Director Ram Eachambadi files this report from Los Angeles. Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed California’s highly ambitious 2022-23 state budget proposal. Titled “The California Blueprint,” the proposed budget aims [...]