“We Have Stopped Being A Civilized Nation And Accepted Barbarism. I Dissent”: SCOTUS Justice Sotamayor Refuses To Join ‘Rush To Execute’ A Rape-Murder Convict

“I cannot in good conscience join in this “rush to execute” without first seeking every assurance that our precedent permits such a result... If the law permits this execution to go forward in spite of the horrific final minutes that Irick may well experience, then we have stopped being a civilized nation and accepted barbarism. I dissent.”Billy Ray Irick, who was convicted for 1985...

Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar To Be The First Woman High Court Chief Justice In Pakistan

Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar is set to be appointed as the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, paving way for her to become the first woman Chief Justice of any High Court in the country.The current Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai is scheduled to retire on August 31. Justice Tahira will then take charge as the Chief Justice till October 5 next...

Indian American Amul Thapar On Trump’s List Of Supreme Court Nominees

With Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announcing last week that he would retire from the Supreme Court, we’re heading to a showdown for a crucial replacement that is expected to change the course of the highest court of the United States of America for generations to come.Justice Kennedy, 81, has been a critical swing vote on the sharply polarised court for nearly three decades as he embraced...

Restricting Civil Partnerships Only to Same-Sex Couples Discriminatory: UK Supreme Court [Read Judgment]

The United Kingdom Supreme Court on Wednesday declared that restricting civil partnerships to only same-sex couples is “discriminatory”, and is incompatible with Articles 14 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).Article 14 of the ECHR provides that the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in the Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any of...

Cannot Compel Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers To Promote Abortion: SCOTUS Stays California Law [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) on Tuesday ruled in favour of a preliminary injunction against a California law that required all pregnancy centers, including pro-life ones, to post referrals to state-funded abortion providers and birth control resources, forcing them to promote services that violate their beliefs.The Court, with a 5-4 majority, ruled that...

Reunite Migrant Families Within 30 days: US District Court Stays Trump’s Family Separation Policy [Read Order]

Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on Tuesday granted an injunction on the lawsuit filed by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against family separation of migrants. The Judge further directed the authorities to reunite families with their minor children under the age of five within 14 days, and with those over the age of...

SCOTUS Ruling On Trump’s Travel Ban: Here Is A Summary

In a major victory for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) on Tuesday ruled in favour of the President’s travel ban on people from six Muslim-majority countries— Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.Authoring the majority opinion in the 5-4 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts essentially reversed the ruling of the 9th Circuit Court...

Privacy Prevails: Police Generally Need Search Warrant To Obtain Cell Phone Location Info: US Supreme Court [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) on Friday ruled with a 5-4 majority that the police generally need a search warrant to obtain broad access to data that shows the location of cellphone users, unless a warrant-less search is necessary in view of the"exigencies of the situation".Authoring the majority judgment in Carpenter Vs United States, Chief Justice John Roberts...

Domestic Violence Not Same As Group-Based Persecution: US Attorney General Refuses Asylum To Salvadoran Rape Victim [Read Order]

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday refused asylum to a woman from El Salvador who had been "physically, emotionally and sexually" by her ex-husband."Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum. While I do not decide that violence inflicted by non-governmental actors may never serve...

DC Federal Judge Refuses To Confirm Arbitration Award To Hardy Oil & Gas

The United State District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday refused to confirm the arbitration award which would have resulted in Hardy Exploration & Production (India) Inc (HEPI) returning to work in India's natural gas reserves.U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras asserted that U.S. policy respects rights of other nations to manage resources within their own territories....

Member States Must Give Residency Rights To Same-Sex Spouses Even If They Don't Recognize Same Sex Marriages: European Court of Justice [Read Judgment]

In a landmark ruling for LGBT rights in Europe, the European Court of Justice has directed all member countries to recognize the residency rights of same-sex spouses, even if the country does not allow same-sex marriages.It ruled, "...in a situation in which a Union citizen has made use of his freedom of movement by moving to and taking up genuine residence, in accordance with the...

Ireland's Abortion Referendum: It Was In The Death Of An Indian Woman That The Irish Found Their Voice

For the second time in three years, Ireland on Friday voted overwhelmingly in favour of a progressive social change. 66.4 percent people voted to repeal its barbaric anti-abortion law, with Ireland's citizenry standing their ground with the image of an Indian woman emerging as the face of the growing call for change.Almost six years after her death, Indian-origin dentist Savita...