US activist sues former Egypt PM for torture and assassination attempt
US human rights activist and former political prisoner Mohamed Soltan sued former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Abdel Aziz el–Beblawi Monday for conspiring with government officials to arrest, torture and assassinate him for his high–profile activism during Egypt’s 2013 Revolution. Soltan filed the complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia under the [...]
Rethinking Food Insecurity During a Pandemic: An Equity-Based Approach
In just a few weeks, COVID-19 has overwhelmed the world and drastically changed our lives. Arvind Suresh, a medical student and Albert Schweitzer Fellow, has begun to research the impact that “stay at home” orders and social distancing have on communities with longstanding challenges with food insecurity. For the vast majority of us, only grocery [...]
Diplomat Visa Policy: A Distraction From Larger Equality Issues
At the beginning of this month, the Trump administration announced a new policy that same-sex partners of foreign diplomats and employees of the United Nations will only be granted visas if the partners are married. The State Department immediately applied the policy and refused visas to unmarried partners. The Department also told partners who lived [...]
Egypt appeals court upholds former president's 3-year prison sentence
Egypt’s top appeals court, the Court of Cassation, on Monday upheld former president Mohammed Morsi’s three-year prison sentence for insulting the judiciary. The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Morsi and 19 others in December for inciting hatred through TV and media comments. Morsi and other defendants appealed, but the court rejected the appeal and ordered the sentence [...]
The Right to be Armed: The Ninth Circuit Giveth Then Taketh Away
The joy and amazement Second Amendment supporters felt in July at two Ninth Circuit Appeals Court opinions were dashed in August when, in Pena v. Lindley the Ninth Circuit upheld California’s Unsafe Handgun Act banning purchase of new handguns that lack technology no current gun has and no manufacturer is contemplating. Although the two July opinions [...]
Amnesty blames Venezuela government for 'worst human rights crisis in its history'
Amnesty International UK blamed the Venezuelan government under President Nicolás Maduro for the “worst human rights crisis in its history” in a report published on Thursday. The study highlights human rights abuses that Amnesty condemns as showing a disregard for human life. Among the most poignant statistics are that 22 percent of homicides committed in 2016 [...]
Mali constitutional court declares incumbent winner of presidential election
Mali’s Constitutional Court on Monday declared sitting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita the winner of the country’s August 12 presidential runoff election. According to electoral officials, Keita garnered 67.2 percent of the vote, easily besting Soumaila Cisse, who received 32.8 percent. The court listed the official vote count at 2,753,698 or 34.42 percent of the country’s 8 million registered [...]
Statutory Caps and Recent Judicial Intervention May Bring Sky High Verdicts Back to the Ground
In some personal injury cases, juries award considerable sums for compensation. This often occurs when the plaintiff suffers serious and painful injuries, and the jury decides to award a significant amount of non-economic injuries. If the defendant’s actions are deemed egregious or malicious, the jury may also award a large amount of punitive damages. Yet [...]
Here's the domestic legal news we covered this week: Dozens of attorneys with the Legal Aid Society and Bronx Defenders on Thursday held a protest outside of the Bronx Criminal Court after one of their clients were...
Here's the international legal news we covered this week: The Luxembourg Court of Cassation on Thursday reversed the conviction of "LuxLeaks" whistleblower Antoine Deltour who had leaked thousands of documents revealing tax breaks for major companies. ...
