US Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Appeals Against Obama-Era Net Neutrality Rules [Read Order]

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Monday refused to review a 2016 case brought by various broadband service providers challenging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) net neutrality protections from the Obama era.The FCC was issued by the Obama administration in 2015 to protect principles of net neutrality, which require that all traffic on the internet should be...

‘Media Trial Can’t Be Allowed’: Pak SC Issues Directives To Regulate Media Discussions In Sub-Judice Matters [Read Judgment]

“Any news or discussions in programmes shall not be aired which are likely to jeopardize ongoing inquiries, investigations or trials.’The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday issued some important directives to   Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to regulate ‘media trial’ in sub-judice matters.A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib...

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions Resigns At President Trump’s Request; Matthew Whitaker Appointed Acting Attorney General

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned as the country's chief law enforcement officer at the request of President Donald Trump. Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, Matthew G. Whitaker has been appointed as the Acting Attorney General until a permanent replacement is nominated.Broadcasting the decision, President Trump tweeted on Wednesday: “We are pleased to announce that...

After Gender Balanced Cabinet, Ethiopia Gets Its First Female Supreme Court President

Meaza Ashenafi, a prominent East African women’s rights activist, has been appointed as the President of Ethiopia’s Federal Supreme Court.The move is being viewed as another step in the efforts by reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to achieve gender parity in the government. Ashnefi’s appointment in fact comes two weeks after Abiy named 10 female ministers to make Ethiopia the...

Pakistan’s SC Acquits Christian Women On Death Row For Blasphemy [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday acquitted a Christian woman who has been on death row for almost eight years on blasphemy charges.Asia Bibi, a mother of five from Punjab province, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and  was sentenced to hang after she was accused of defiling the name of Prophet Muhammed during an argument the year before with fellow Muslim farmers.A Bench...

Person Is Guilty Of Scandalising Contempt Even If There Was No Intention To Scandalise The Court: Singapore SC Upholds Constitutional Validity Of Contempt Law [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court of Singapore recently upheld the constitutionality of section 3(1)(a)of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act, 2016.Wham and Tan who were facing charges of contempt for their Facebook posts had challenged the validity of the provision in contempt law on the ground that it violates a Singapore citizen’s right to freedom of speech and expression under Art 14 of...

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’

“The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state-sponsored brutality.”Justice Sonia Sotomayor, once again, dissented with SCOTUS that denied a stay of execution of a death row convict who had challenged the execution process of injecting lethal three-drug cocktail followed in...

Washington State Supreme Court Strikes Down Death Penalty; Says It was Being Imposed In An “Arbitrary & Racially Biased Manner” [Read Judgment]

Washington, on Thursday, became the 20th U.S. state to abolish capital punishment when its Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in a unanimous decision.The Bench declared the punishment invalid “because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner”, and directed all death sentences to be converted to life imprisonment.“…the use of death penalty is...

UK SC Vindicates Christian Baker Family Who Refused To Make Cake With Message ‘Support Gay Marriage’

“The important message from the Masterpiece Bakery case is that there is a clear distinction between refusing to produce a cake conveying a particular message, for any customer who wants such a cake, and refusing to produce a cake for the particular customer who wants it because of that customer’s characteristics.”Owners of Cake shops, one in Colorado (US) and the other in Ireland...

Private Use Of Cannabis Decriminalized By South African Apex Court On Grounds Of Privacy Right [Read Judgment]

"Prohibition of the performance of any activity in connection with the cultivation and possession of cannabis by an adult in private for his or her personal consumption in private is inconsistent with the right to privacy entrenched in the Constitution and is constitutionally invalid".The Constitutional Court of South Africa has declared that penalizing possession, use and cultivation...

Pak Supreme Court Restores Bar Entrance Examination; Bans 3 Year LLB Courses [Read Order]

“An independent, competent, honest and industrious Judicature requires an equally independent, dynamic, honest and dedicated Bar in order to effectively provide justice in accordance with law to all members of the society.”Pakistan Supreme court has issued significant directives in the realm of legal education including restoration of Bar Entrance Examination and banning three years...

US Court Prevents Release Of 3D Gun Printing Blueprints Which Enable Production Of Undetectable Firearms[Read Order]

The Court held that release of blueprints enabling production of  3D printed guns, which are undetectable, was against public interest.U.S. District Court in Seattle has passed an injunction order preventing the publication of 3D printed gun blueprints until litigation is resolved. This is a temporary win for a group of 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia who have challenged...