The Tennessee House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday that criminalizes adults who knowingly take minors away from Tennessee to help them receive gender-affirming medical procedures without the consent of their parents. The companion bill was introduced to the Tennessee House of Representatives on January 29, 2024 as HB 2310 by Representative Bryan Richey [...]
Search Results for: First Amendment
Alabama legislature advances bill that restricts books 'harmful to minors' in public libraries
The Alabama House of Representatives voted 72-28 to pass HB 385, which prohibits public libraries from providing materials that are “harmful to minors” or “obscene.” The bill, which passed on Thursday, will now go to the Alabama Senate. Under the bill, it is a public nuisance for public libraries to provide obscene or harmful materials [...]
Germany Bundestag approves amendment to climate protection act
The Bundestag, Germany’s federal Parliament, passed on Friday the second amendment of the Federal Climate Protection Act. The amendment passed a day after the Federal Constitutional Court rejected a lawmaker’s objection to the amended bill. The amendments aim to reduce the pressure against individual sectors by removing some greenhouse gas emissions targets. In the Bundestag [...]
US federal agency bans employers from using non-compete clauses
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a rule Tuesday banning employers from using non-compete clauses in worker’s employment contracts. Non-compete clauses are portions of language in employment contracts that restrict an employee from working in a certain sector of business or for certain employers after their contract with their current employer ends. The rule, [...]
Ecuador votes to approve tightened security measures amid wave of violence
Ecuadorians voted to approve a number of security proposals from President Daniel Noboa on Sunday as the South American country experiences a surge in violence that has claimed the lives of multiple public officials, including a presidential candidate. Among the proposals was a proposition to amend Ecuador’s constitution to allow the country’s armed forces to [...]
US House passes bill forcing ByteDance to divest from TikTok under threat of ban
The US House of Representatives voted 360–58 Saturday to pass a sanctions bill that includes a provision forcing Chinese company ByteDance to divest from popular social media app TikTok, which would be banned in the US if ByteDance does not comply. The bill, formally entitled the “21st Century Peace through Strength Act,” designates TikTok as [...]
Maine legislature approves sweeping gun control bill in the wake of deadly mass shooting
The Maine legislature on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday approved several sweeping gun control measures, including increased waiting periods, background checks, expansion of court-ordered firearm forfeiture and a prohibition on selling firearms to those who aren’t legally permitted to own them. The first bill approved by the legislature was the “Act to Strengthen Public Safety by [...]
US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from Black Lives Matter organizer being sued for negligence
The US Supreme Court Monday declined a petition for a writ of certiorari filed by Black Lives Matter organizer DeRay Mckesson, effectively allowing him to be sued by a Louisiana police officer for negligence. The case at bar, DeRay Mckesson v. John Doe, centers around a protest that took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July [...]
US Supreme Court allows Idaho gender-affirming care ban for minors to go into effect
The US Supreme Court granted an emergency request for stay led by Idaho officials, allowing the state to temporarily enforce a statewide ban on gender-affirming care for certain minors. This ban is one of the first cases related to transgender health care to reach the nation’s highest court. Labrador v. Poe is the case that [...]
SCOTUS dispatch: government lawyer grilled for an hour on meaning of federal corruption statute
Gijs de Bra is a JURIST Assistant Editor and SCOTUS special correspondent, and a 2L at Cornell Law School. When, if ever, does a person “corruptly” solicit or offer a gift with intent to influence government action? That question kept Colleen Sinzdak, counsel for the US government, busy for almost all of her argument before [...]