The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted its first-ever resolution on persons reported missing during armed conflicts, recalling “its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security” and “the need to promote respect for the rules and principles of international humanitarian law”. The resolution urges countries that are not yet parties to the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Monday ruled that parents may have plausible constitutional claims against the state of Michigan for the ongoing storage and use of blood samples collected from nearly all newborn babies in the state. A group of Michigan parents sued the Michigan Department of Health and Human [...]
Louisiana’s Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards on Thursday signed a bill banning abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected by an ultrasound. The exceptions to the abortion ban include situations to prevent the pregnant women’s death or a serious risk of impairment of major bodily function, or when the pregnancy is medically futile, but do [...]
Colorado governor Jared Polis on Tuesday signed two new drug laws, one which lowers penalties for single-use possession of Schedule I and II substances and another that allows businesses to apply for licenses for social marijuana use. Under the new House Bill 19-1263, possession of flunitrazepam, ketamine, cathinones, or a controlled substance listed in schedule [...]
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Wednesday that Iran will no longer keep its enriched uranium and produced heavy water limited, ending compliance with parts of the 2015 nuclear deal. In addition, Iran will take “further actions” if the other signatories of the agreement, EU/E3+2, cannot fulfill their obligations within 60 days to “secure Iran’s [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging Indiana’s new abortion restrictions, which were signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb on Tuesday. House Enrolled Act 1211 (the Enrolled Act) bans the dilation and evacuation procedure (D&E), which is the abortion procedure used in the vast majority of second [...]
Giffords, a nonprofit started by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, on Wednesday filed a complaint against Federal Election Commission (FEC) under 52 USC § 30109(a)(8)(A), seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to compel the FEC to act on Giffords’ four administrative complaints regarding the National Rifle Association (NRA). Over the past nine months, Giffords complained that NRA the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld a district judge’s ruling that California’s controversial “sanctuary state” law does not conflict with federal immigration law. The US government challenged three California state laws: AB 450, which requires employers to alert employees before federal immigration inspections; AB 103, which imposes inspection requirements on [...]
Twenty-six progressive groups on Thursday sent a letter to Congress urging an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s “sham confirmation process” last year. The groups claim that “many issues went unresolved during last year’s confirmation process, when Senate Republicans jettisoned all procedural norms and abandoned any sense of fairness, and they must be investigated.” [...]
The Troika (the UK, US and Norway) on Tuesday released a joint statement on the current unrest in Sudan, urging the Sudanese authorities to respond to the demand from peaceful protesters for a transition to a political system that is “inclusive and has greater legitimacy.” The Troika urged a “credible plan for this political transition”, [...]
