Foreign/International
AdWord Case; US Supreme Court rejects Google's Appeal
Supreme Court of United States (SCOTUS) has rejected an Appeal filed by Google to dismiss a class action law suit by California advertisers regarding the placement of Internet Advertisement through Google’s Adword service.SCOTUS declined to hear Google's appeal against an order by 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing the suit proceedings to continue as a class action...
Connecticut Supreme Court upholds ruling which banned Death Penalty [Read Judgment]
The Connecticut Supreme Court, refusing to overrule its earlier ruling in Santiago case, wherein it had held the death penalty unconstitutional, has upheld the state's ban on capital punishment. The top court of Connecticut reversed the two death sentences imposed upon Russel Peeler, and remanded the case and instructed the lower court to impose a sentence of life in prison without possibility...
US Supreme Court rules out death sentence from all-white jury [Read Opinion]
The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of a Georgia death row inmate who claimed racial bias in the jury selection process.In Foster v. Chatman, the Court held that the Georgia Supreme Court's decision that petitioner Timothy Foster failed to show purposeful discrimination was clearly erroneous.The case involves a black defendant and a white victim. Timothy Tyrone Foster,...
Stockholm district court upholds arrest warrant against Julian Assange
Stockholm district court has upheld the arrest warrant against Julian Assange and has ruled that he will remain detained in absentia. The Court found that there is still probable cause for the suspicion against the WikiLeaks founder for rape, less serious incident, and that there is still a risk that he will depart or in some other way evade prosecution or penalty.In November 2010 Assange...
SCOTUS remands Obamacare contraceptive case to Lower Court [Read Judgment]
The Supreme Court of United States, expressing no opinion on merits, has remanded back to Lower court, a challenge by Religious Employers against Federal regulations which required them to cover certain contraceptives as part of their health Insurance plans.The Court said “The Court expresses no view on the merits of the cases. In particular, the Court does not decide whether...
Oral Sex is not Rape if the victim was unconscious due to intoxication, says Oklahoma Court [Read Judgment]
Lawyers and Layman alike, would hardly doubt that forced sex, of whatsoever nature, without consent with a person who was unconscious at the time of the sexual act, would be a rape within the meaning of penal laws. But a Court in Oklahoma in United States of America has delivered a strange order, which many legal experts describe as “absurd” and “offending”, wherein it has upheld a...
US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rejects challenge against Google Books Projects
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge claiming that Google’s scanning of their books amounts to wanton copyright infringement and not fair use.The Authors’ Guild originally sued Google, saying that serving up search results from scanned books infringes on publishers’ copyrights even though the search giant shows only restricted snippets of the work. The writers...
US Human Rights Report criticises India for Extra Judicial Killings etc [Read report]
The 2015 report from US Govt department on human rights, slams India for judicial killings and other atrocities by Indian armed forces and police. The report has mentioned several incidents that happened in India and even accused the National Investigation Agency for “going soft” on Hindutva elements for their involvement in Malegaon blasts.The report states that “Rohini Salian, the...
China Pulls License of Prominent Rights Lawyer Pu Zhiqiangon for criticising the Government
Chinese human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiangon announced on Wednesday that his license to practice law was revoked by the Beijing City Judicial Bureau.The bureau allegedly disbarred Pu from practicing law because of a December criminal conviction associated with using social media to critique the government. The move is criticized as a way to curtail activists from using their positions...
Sex offenders are not required to update registration once they relocate to a foreign country: US Supreme Court [Read Judgment]
Overruling the Tenth Circuit, the US Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act (SORNA) does not require an individual to update his registration in Kansas once he departed the State.The Court was hearing a petition filed by Mr. Nichols who was a registered sex offender, convicted of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual...
Nepal to get its first woman Chief Justice
Nepal seems to be witnessing several changes in its system of governance after adopting a new constitution, making it a federal republic in 2015. The country got its first woman president and speaker and now is all set to get its first woman Chief Justice as a meeting of the Judicial Council had recommended Sushila Karki, the senior most judges in Nepal's Supreme Court, to be appointed as...
SCOTUS rejects APPLE’s appeal in E-Book price fixing case; APPLE to pay $400 Million in damages to consumers
The Supreme Court of United States has refused to review an Appellate Court finding that Apple had conspired with book publishers to raise the prices of digital books, in violation of state and federal antitrust laws.The Supreme Court refused to grant certiorari to the petition moved by Apple Inc. and thereby upheld the Appellate court finding. While the Liability Appeal was still pending...