When we talk about defunding the police, we focus on what we can see. We imagine hiring fewer cops to flock in subway stations and wander sidewalks. We picture fewer high-priced tanks and military-grade tools of war in our communities. But today’s policing infrastructure also spends millions of dollars on an invisible, sprawling data surveillance [...]
Search Results for: 2017-04-27
Mandamus and the Proper Role of Amicus Curiae in the Michael Flynn Case
On Monday, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia filed his response to the petition for mandamus brought by General Michael Flynn in the D.C. Circuit regarding Sullivan’s handling of the Justice Department (DOJ) Motion to Dismiss the false statement charges against Flynn. Flynn had pleaded guilty to [...]
India's Aarogya Setu Contact Tracing App - Compromising Privacy in a Pandemic?
As society grapples to stay on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened responsibility on governments to effectively deal with this public health crisis, in a manner that is least-restrictive towards the civil liberties of its citizens. The use of technology as a part of disaster-response cannot be denied, but the regulatory lacunae [...]
The Trump Presidency: A Breathtaking Assault on Law, Justice and Security
“At the beginning of the pestilence and when it ends, there’s always a propensity for rhetoric….It is only in the thick of a calamity that one gets hardened to the truth, to silence.” – Albert Camus, The Plague Trump presidential debilities are more serious than simple policy missteps or errors. This administration is far more [...]
Federal judge allows California updated light bulb efficiency standards to take effect
A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of California on Tuesday denied a motion by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Lighting Association (ALA) for a temporary restraining order against the California Energy Commission (CEC) to block updated light bulb efficiency standards. NEMA and ALA filed a complaint [...]
Ramush Haradinaj, the former prime minister of Kosovo, was in The Hague Tuesday to answer questions about war crimes allegedly committed during the 1989-99 war. Haradinaj resigned last week “not to be questioned as the country’s leader” by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. He ultimately declined to answer any of the prosecutors’ questions, presumably on the [...]
Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban: The United States' Political, Legal, and Moral Responsibility
In what may have been one of the most consequential decisions since the notorious Korematsu case of 1944, when the Supreme Court upheld the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the Court (in June 2018) voted 5-4 vote to uphold President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Like the Korematsu judicial ruling, Trump v. Hawaii raises [...]
The “Occupy Central 9” Cases: Rule of Law or Rule by Law in Hong Kong?
“A trial is a window into the soul of a country.” –Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems,” which guarantees that the city’s [...]
The Utah House of Representatives passed the Concurrent Resolution in Support of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology on Wednesday. The resolution “supports the procurement of energy from advanced nuclear facilities as well as the construction and operation of advanced nuclear facilities within the state of Utah.” The use of the advanced nuclear facilities are deemed to be [...]
Amnesty: Iran execution of two financial criminals 'abhorrent'
Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the execution of two financial criminals in Iran, calling it an “unfair TV show trial.” “Use of the death penalty is appalling under any circumstances,” said Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, Philip Luther. “ut it is even more horrific given that these men were convicted [...]