The US Court of Appeals for Fifth Circuit [official website] on Thursday ruled [order, PDF] that Texas can enforce a 2015 state law that criminalizes the harboring of illegal immigrants. Texas officials had claimed the law, known as House Bill 11 [materials], was primarily aimed at human traffickers and …

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) [official website] on Wednesday dismissed [press release] charges against Im Chaem, a Buddhist nun suspected of playing a role in the Khmer Rouge regime. The judges in the case said they lacked jurisdiction to decide Im Chaem's case as she was …

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday ruled [opinion, PDF] that Fayetteville city ordinance 5781 broadening nondiscrimination laws to include sexual orientation or gender identity is invalid under § 14-1-403 of the Interstate Commerce Improvement Act (Act 137) [text, PDF]. This state statute prohibited cities from adopting or enforcing "an …

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website] on Wednesday granted [order, PDF] a preliminary injunction to IMDb [entertainment site], a popular website that posts information about all things Hollywood, blocking enforcement of law meant to combat age discrimination. The injunction temporarily prevents …

The French National Assembly [official website] approved a law [text, in French] on Tuesday that would make French parent corporations liable for human rights violations committed by their subsidiary companies located anywhere in the world. Parent corporations subject to the law will be held to a higher standard of oversight …

UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan Aristide Nononsi [official profile] on Wednesday called for [press release] the Sudanese government to protect civilian rights in Darfur [OSU backgrounder]. Since 2003 the region has faced civil unrest from conflict between the government and rebel groups. …

Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Tuesday released its Annual Report 2016/17 [report], a summary of an international human rights survey that discusses the role "rhetoric of fear, blame and hate" have played in rolling back human rights around the world. AI analyzed major political leaders that identify as anti-establishment, …

The Supreme Court of Thailand on Thursday upheld the sentence of a former magazine editor who published stories criticizing the royal family. The court did curtail the sentence [AP report], so that Somyot Pruksakasemsuk would be released in 2018. The editor was convicted under Thailand's controversial lèse majesté [BBC report] …

The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked [letter, PDF] the Obama-era guidelines [press release] regarding transgender students. The previous guidelines were a joint effort by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (DOE) [official websites] that required federally funded schools to treat gender identity as a student's sex …

The Turkish Ministry of Defense [official website, in Turkish] announced Wednesday that female soldiers will be allowed to wear headscarves along with their uniforms. The regulation, a break in the nation's attempt to protect its secularism [NYT report], is the latest institutional policy allowing head coverings in government settings. Coverings …

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin [advocacy website] filed suit [complaint, PDF] in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Wednesday alleging that the Milwaukee Police Department [official website] discriminates against black and Latino men in its stop-and-frisk program. The complaint states that the policies …

The Brazil federal senate [official website] on Wednesday confirmed [press release, in Portuguese] President Michel Temer's [official profile] nominee for the vacant Supreme Court [official website] seat, Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes, a 49-year-old lawyer, professor and current justice minister, was approved by a vote of 55-13 in the senate. The …

The German state of Bavaria [official website] on Tuesday approved a ban [video, in German] on full-face veils in certain public spaces, including universities, schools, government workplaces and while driving. Asserting that facial expressions are important to communication, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann stated in support of the bill …

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments [transcript] in Kindred Nursing Centers Limited Partnership v. Clark [SCOTUSblog backgrounder], wherein the court will once again be asked to decide whether binding arbitration agreements are permissible. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled [opinion] that arbitration agreements signed by legal representatives of …

A Hong Kong Court [official website] on Wednesday sentenced Donald Tsang, the former Chief Executive from 2005 to 2012, to 20 months in prison [state media report] for his failure to disclose personal conflicts of interest when his cabinet was considering a broadcasting license application by a Chinese property developer. …

The UK Supreme Court [official website] on Wednesday upheld [judgment, PDF] immigration rules that require British citizens have a certain level of income to bring their foreign spouses into Britain. The Minimum Income Requirement [text] rule mandates that a British citizen must have a minimum annual income of at least …

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation [official website] annulled the 2.5 year prison sentence [RAPSI report] of Ildar Dadin, who was the first person to be convicted under a relatively new anti-protest law. Dadin was imprisoned in 2015 under a law that allows the Russian government to press criminal …

The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF]Wednesday Buck v. Davis [SCOTUSblog materials] in favor of a death row inmate seeking a new sentencing hearing. The inmate, Duane Buck, claims that his own lawyers stated during trial that he was more likely to cause future harm due to the …

The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] in Life Technologies Corporation v. Promega Corporation [SCOTUSblog materials] on Wednesday that the supply of a single component in a multi-component patented invention for manufacture overseas does not violate Section 271(f)(1) of the Patent Act [text, PDF]. Section 271 [LII materials] …

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that Maryland's assault weapons ban is constitutional. A lower court ruling last year found that Maryland's Firearm Safety Act [text, PDF], violated the Second Amendment [text]. Based on the US Supreme Court decision in District …