Foreign/International
Privacy Prevails: Police Generally Need Search Warrant To Obtain Cell Phone Location Info: US Supreme Court [Read Judgment]
The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) on Friday ruled with a 5-4 majority that the police generally need a search warrant to obtain broad access to data that shows the location of cellphone users, unless a warrant-less search is necessary in view of the"exigencies of the situation".Authoring the majority judgment in Carpenter Vs United States, Chief Justice John Roberts...
Domestic Violence Not Same As Group-Based Persecution: US Attorney General Refuses Asylum To Salvadoran Rape Victim [Read Order]
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday refused asylum to a woman from El Salvador who had been "physically, emotionally and sexually" by her ex-husband."Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum. While I do not decide that violence inflicted by non-governmental actors may never serve...
DC Federal Judge Refuses To Confirm Arbitration Award To Hardy Oil & Gas
The United State District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday refused to confirm the arbitration award which would have resulted in Hardy Exploration & Production (India) Inc (HEPI) returning to work in India's natural gas reserves.U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras asserted that U.S. policy respects rights of other nations to manage resources within their own territories....
Member States Must Give Residency Rights To Same-Sex Spouses Even If They Don't Recognize Same Sex Marriages: European Court of Justice [Read Judgment]
In a landmark ruling for LGBT rights in Europe, the European Court of Justice has directed all member countries to recognize the residency rights of same-sex spouses, even if the country does not allow same-sex marriages.It ruled, "...in a situation in which a Union citizen has made use of his freedom of movement by moving to and taking up genuine residence, in accordance with the...
Ireland's Abortion Referendum: It Was In The Death Of An Indian Woman That The Irish Found Their Voice
For the second time in three years, Ireland on Friday voted overwhelmingly in favour of a progressive social change. 66.4 percent people voted to repeal its barbaric anti-abortion law, with Ireland's citizenry standing their ground with the image of an Indian woman emerging as the face of the growing call for change.Almost six years after her death, Indian-origin dentist Savita...
US President Blocking Twitter Users For Their Political Views Is Unconstitutional, Holds US Court [Read Judgment]
“The blocking of individual plaintiffs has the discrete impact of preventing them from interacting directly with the President’s tweets, thereby restricting a real, albeit narrow, slice of speech. No more is needed to violate the Constitution,” the court said.A district court in the United States of America has held that blocking of Twitter users from US President Donald...
Supreme Court Of Lesotho Holds Criminal Defamation Laws Unconstitutional [Read Judgment]
Civil remedies for reputational encroachment are more suited for redressing such reputational harm, the court said.The Supreme Court of Lesotho has declared country’s as criminal defamation laws unconstitutional observing that ‘crime of defamation has no place in its current constitutional dispensation’.Justice MA Mokhesi in his 37 paged Judgment observed that Section 101- 104 of the...
US Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Plea Against Power Project In Gujarat [Read Order]
The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) has agreed to take up an appeal filed against a power plant in Gujarat funded by US-based International Finance Corporation (IFC).SCOTUS on Monday granted the Petition for a writ of certiorari, limited to the following question posed by the Petitioners: "Whether the International Organizations Immunities Act—which affords...
Holding Foreign Corporations Liable In US Courts Might Impact American Corporate Investments In Developing Economies: SCOTUS [Read Judgment]
The recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the case of Jesner et al. v. Arab Bank, PLC has further restricted the scope of holding foreign corporations liable in the Federal Courts of the United States under the Alien Torts Statute (ATS). The ATS is part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 which provides that “The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of...
Facebook Faces Action In US Court On Alleged Privacy Violation By Face Recognition Feature
A class action suit was filed against Facebook by a group of Facebook users in Illinois over usage of its facial recognition feature. This feature was introduced by Facebook in 2011 and allows it to scan pictures uploaded by users and suggest tagging of their friends.The lawsuit was filed in 2015 alleging violation of a 2008 Illinois law known as the Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA). BIPA...
First Lawsuit Against Facebook & Cambridge Analytica
A class-action complaint has been filed by Lauren Price, a resident of Maryland, before the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California seeking unspecified damages for Facebook’s failure to protect data of its users and the exploitation of the data by Cambridge Analytica in the 2016 US election campaign. The complaint alleges violation of California unfair competition law.It is only...
Pak Court Holds Suspension Of Mobile Services By Federal Govt On Ground Of National Security Illegal [Read Judgment]
The Islamabad High Court has declared that the Federal government has no authority to direct the suspension of mobile phone services on the ground of national security. It was held that such power can be exercised only after the proclamation of emergency by the President. The declaration was made while allowing an appeal filed by a telecom company, CM Pak Limited, against the shutdown of...