Russia investigates Netflix for violating law against LGBTQ content
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating a complaint by Olga Baranets, the Commissioner for the Protection of the Family against the depiction of LGBTQI themes on television series streamed by Netflix under the 16+ label. Currently, Russian law treats LGBTQI themes as “deviant content” and mandates that they are broadcast with a +18 [...]
Abstract: For Israel, core issues surrounding Iran’s still-accelerating nuclear weapons program have been strategic and political, rather than legal. Nonetheless, if Israel should ever decide that it no longer has any reasonable alternative to launching a preemptive attack against certain Iranian military/industrial targets, this defensive first-strike would need to be justified under international law. In [...]
Law and Strategy after Afghanistan: The United States, Israel and Iran
Abstract: Following US withdrawal from Afghanistan, America’s security focus will turn more expressly to Iran. The core problem with America’s Afghanistan withdrawal was not one of timing or tactics, but of original misconception. In essence, the “Afghanistan Problem” stemmed from an initially underestimated and misunderstood military operation. Looking ahead, Afghanistan’s incoherent conclusion means, inter alia, [...]
The Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare) may be the Supreme Court equivalent of the cat with nine lives. Or at least four. Starting with its decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012), the Supreme Court has now turned aside three distinct lines of attack on the Act’s controversial “individual mandate” (which [...]
In the New York Times on May 20, 2021, there was a story about a government program to pay off early loans to black farmers, to compensate for past oppressive lending practices. Bankers were criticizing the program because early payoffs hurt bank profits. Some white farmers sued and won a TRO, the court finding that “Plaintiffs [...]
“States shall not take….any measures which may be prejudicial to the international obligations they have assumed in regard to the detection, arrest, extradition and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.” – Principles of International Cooperation, General Assembly Resolution, 1973 “It’s not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals, [...]
“In the pandemic economy, face masks are like bars of gold. Hoarders are hoarding them. Governors are bartering for them. Hospital workers desperately need them.” – Michael Schulman The N95 mask is very important armor in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Instances of hoarding and black marketing of masks are rising in India. Healthcare personnel risk [...]
Aimee Stephens and Preserving Our Broader Understandings of Sex
Just last week, we were saddened by the loss of Aimee Stephens at age 59. Ms. Stephens was a Detroit funeral director who, in 2013, announced a gender transition that exposed her employer’s deep intolerance toward transgender people. For seven years, she challenged the harsh dismissal and loss of livelihood that followed the announcement. Although [...]
Boys' Locker Room: Does Indian Rape Culture Need a Better Deterrent than the Death Penalty?
Content Warning – This piece discusses law and policy around child sexual assault. India witnessed yet another episode of toxic masculinity and a predominant rape culture thriving with the youth of the country, and not just the illiterate or disadvantaged, but educated, young children. Yes. On Sunday, certain screenshots of a chat group on the [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a per curiam opinion in Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, “leaving it to the Second Circuit whether to determine their merits, taking such action as it deems appropriate” regarding arguments raised in the petitioners’ brief. IBM offered employees the opportunity to invest in the company through [...]
