As part of a settlement, Michigan agreed Friday that state-contracted adoption agencies must follow non-discrimination requirements and allow LGBT couples to adopt or foster children.  The case was brought in September 2017 by two same-sex couples who wished to adopt against the state of Michigan and St. Vincent Catholic Charities (an intervenor defendant). “The American Civil Liberties Union filed [...]

The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned three senior officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday.  The sanctions were permitted by an executive order signed by former president George W. Bush that authorizes sanctions on “Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa, Norbert Basengezi Katintima and Marcellin Basengezi [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Media Justice (CMJ) filed a complaint on Thursday accusing the FBI of “improperly withholding” information sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the organizations in October regarding surveillance of black activists. The organizations sought to obtain information related to the surveillance of black [...]

A judge in the Western District of Kentucky on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order barring state officials from enforcing, or otherwise requiring compliance with House Bill 5 (HB5), which bans abortions based on sex, race or disability.   The TRO was sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. HB5 imposes limits on [...]

The American Bar Association Commission on Immigration on Wednesday published an update to their 2010 report that made recommendations on reforming the immigration system. The 2019 update focused on recommendations for improvement in six key areas involved in the immigration adjudication process: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Immigration Judges and Immigration Courts; the Board of Immigration [...]

Mississippi’s governor, Phil Bryant, signed SB 2116 on Thursday, which bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The bill was approved by the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday. A physician who performs an abortion after detecting a heartbeat in the fetus, or before checking for a heartbeat, can have their license revoked or suspended. The [...]

The Maryland House of Delegates and Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2025. The bill proposes that the minimum wage be raised by 75 cents each year. The current minimum wage in Maryland is $10.10 per hour. In January 2020, the minimum [...]

Harvard University was sued Wednesday for allegedly profiting on the earliest known photographs of African-American slaves. In the complaint, plaintiff Tamara Lanier alleges that the slaves depicted in the daguerreotypes (early photographs) known only as “Renty” and “Delia” are her ancestors. Lanier outlines a rich oral history preserved in her family leading back to “Renty.” [...]

The European Commission called Wednesday for more efforts to ensure adoption of security proposals and fined Google €1.49 billion (USD $1.7 billion) for breaching EU antitrust rules. Market dominance is not illegal under EU antitrust rules. However, dominant companies have a special responsibility not to abuse their powerful market position by restricting competition, either in [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Flowers v. Mississippi, in which the state was alleged to have improperly dismissed African American jurors. The petitioner, Curtis Flowers, was convicted of a capital offense in 2010 and appealed his death penalty conviction on the grounds of racial discrimination. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the [...]