Japan court rules TEPCO executives liable for Fukushima meltdown
A Tokyo District Court on Wednesday found four former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) responsible for operating the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant liable for its 2011 meltdown. The court ordered the four defendants to pay damages of around 13 trillion Yen (US$ 94 billion) to TEPCO shareholders for negligence and failure [...]
Afghanistan dispatch: chaotic Taliban earthquake relief response may cause more deaths
Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a law student in Kabul reports on the complications Taliban governance is already causing for earthquake relief after a tremor killed and injured hundreds in southern Afghanistan Wednesday morning. For privacy and security reasons, we [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Wednesday issued an opinion in which the Court held “that the COVID-19 pandemic is not a natural disaster under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act)” and that employers are not allowed to initiate mass layoffs without notice due to pandemics. Oil producers hired [...]
Japan announces new sanctions on Russian nationals and organizations
Japan announced Friday that it will extend sanctions to 15 Russian nationals and nine organizations over the continued Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Herokazu noted in a press conference that the sanctioned individuals include several Russian oligarchs and others close to Vladimir Putin, including Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign [...]
A judge for the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico Tuesday gave final approval to a plan for Puerto Rico to exit bankruptcy after nearly five years. The restructuring plan, signed by Judge Laura Taylor Swain, marks the largest public-sector debt restructuring deal in US history, reducing the island territory’s debt by [...]
California appeals court upholds decision repealing fracking ban
The Court of Appeal of the State of California has upheld a decision striking down a Monterey County order banning “land use in support of” fracking practices in oil and gas development. The appeals court stated that “Measure Z”, which introduced the impugned land-use policies, was preempted by state law. Section 3106 of the California Public [...]
US Supreme Court denies permanent residency to noncitizen granted temporary protected status
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday on an immigrant status case regarding noncitizens seeking to change their immigration status from temporary protected status (TPS) to lawful permanent residency. The court decided that noncitizens with temporary humanitarian relief from deportation cannot partake in the “adjustment of status” process to obtain lawful permanent residency in [...]
South Korea fisheries sue Japan over plans to release radioactive water into sea
A group of South Korean fisheries
Explainer: What is temporary protective status (TPS) and why does it matter?
As the US Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments next week in Sanchez v. Mayorkas, an immigration case involving the impact of temporary protected status (TPS) with respect to lawful-permanent residency, JURIST’s latest explainer takes a deep dive into TPS and its implications under the new presidential administration. What is TPS and how does a [...]
On March 12, 2021, the Biden Administration designated Myanmar for temporary protective status (TPS). DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “Due to the military coup and security forces’ brutal violence against civilians, the people of Burma are suffering a complex and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country.” A few days earlier, Venezuela was [...]
