Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Monday that criminalizes illegal entry into the border state from anywhere but a port of entry, exerting state jurisdiction over what is normally a federal matter. The bill creates a misdemeanor offense for violation of the statute and a felony crime for multiple offenses. It also [...]

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The Peru constitutional court moved Wednesday to affirm a 2017 pardon granting the release of ex-President Alberto Fujimori despite an Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruling that required the release be blocked. Fujimori was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to the maximum term of 25 years for various war crimes and corruption during his [...]

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In a joint statement signed last Thursday but announced Tuesday, the government of the Philippines and communist group the National Democratic Front (NDFP) have reached an agreement to reset peace negotiations in an attempt to end a 50 year long conflict. The agreement was facilitated by Norway and signed in Oslo by Philippines Special Advisor [...]

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Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Brazil Federal Senate approved a constitutional amendment Wednesday that restricts the Supreme Federal Court’s (STF) ability to preliminarily rule on cases without at least six of the 11 members on the court, deepening a growing conflict between the country’s legislative and judicial branches. Changes also include a six-month deadline for the court to decide [...]

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Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The New York Court of Appeals upheld a New York City law Monday that banned chokehold restraints, thereby rejecting a police union challenge that called the law unconstitutional. Section 10-181 of the New York City Administrative Code was passed by the New York City Council in 2020 as a response to the deaths of George [...]

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Jordan Michael Winn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation filed a complaint in US federal court Wednesday against the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, accusing the city of violating tribal sovereignty by writing tickets to tribal members for traffic violations committed within reservation boundaries. The nation asserts that the city lacks criminal jurisdiction over Native Americans on the tribe’s lands without [...]

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US Forest Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A comprehensive US government climate report released Tuesday confirmed that extreme weather linked to climate change is worsening despite drops in US greenhouse gas emissions. The report urged further action to mitigate potentially catastrophic consequences across the country. The Fifth National Climate Assessment report comes amid a rash of extreme weather events that have affected [...]

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Christophe95,CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Indonesian Constitutional Court Ethics Council stripped Chief Justice Anwar Usman of his role Tuesday for ethics violations tied to his participation in a recent case that changed Indonesian law, allowing President Joko Widodo’s son to run for the vice-presidency in the upcoming elections. However, Usman will remain on the court. In October, Usman took [...]

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The federal prosecutors pursuing election interference charges against former US President Donald Trump asked a Washington, DC district judge Monday to deny Trump’s motions to dismiss the case. The DC case concerns allegations that Trump engaged in conspiracy to defraud the US government’s election process, as well as conspiracy to obstruct official proceedings and actual [...]

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Several Tennessee families of transgender children filed a petition with the US Supreme Court Wednesday asking that the Court strike down a Tennessee state law that bans gender-affirming care, alleging that the ban is unconstitutional and would cause their children “severe physical and emotional harm.” The petition claims that the ban is a violation of [...]

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