Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed two bills on Friday safeguarding LGBTQ+ rights in the state. HB 1591 amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The Act previously prohibited out of state couples from obtaining and Illinois marriage license. The language before amendment stated, “no marriage shall be contracted in this State by a [...]

Russian human and media rights group OVD-Info on Sunday claimed police arrested at least 109 people during demonstrations supporting imprisoned opposition leader, Alexey Navalny. The group stated two journalists are known to be among those detained. The demonstrations in 23 Russian cities was organized by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (AFD) and coincided with Navalny’s birthday. OVD-Info [...]

Judge Thomas Parker, a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Friday ruled that Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) is unconstitutional. In his opinion, Parker ruled that the AEA violates First Amendment rights. He stated that free speech does not extend to just words. Instead, the fundamental right covers [...]

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz vetoed a bill Thursday mandating rideshare companies provide their drivers a minimum wage and other benefits. The Governor’s Office did not offer specific reasons for the veto. Despite the veto, Walz stated he is committed to “fair wages and safe working conditions” for rideshare workers. In place of the bill, Walz [...]

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released a statement on Sunday announcing that the US-based chip maker Micron is banned from key infrastructure projects in China. The CAC claims a review of Micron products found “serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to the country’s critical information infrastructure supply chain and [...]

The US House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill prohibiting the participation of transgender individuals in school athletic programs. The bill, titled “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” was approved along party lines, with the Republican majority in support of its passage. Specifically, the bill targets transgender athletes whose assigned gender [...]

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) on Wednesday approved an expansion of the state’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. The law, part of the Florida Administrative Code, Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, previously prohibited any intentional instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. [...]

ProPublica Thursday released a report purporting to show substantial, unreported gifts accepted by US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. ProPublica, a US-based news source, relied upon flight records, internal memos and individuals present at specific events to compile the allegations. If true, the report raises potentially serious ethical violations. The issues uncovered by the report [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday announced it had filed a lawsuit to block the application of a legal opinion in connection with Idaho’s abortion laws. The opinion expands the state’s abortion restrictions and criminal penalties. The provision of abortion care information to women seeking the procedure outside the state is now prohibited. [...]

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague Friday announced the trial of four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members is due to begin Monday. The former Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Kosovo (PGoK), Hashim Thaçi is amongst those who will stand trial. He and his co-conspirators are accused of crimes against humanity and [...]