The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on whether enforcing public camping ordinances against unhoused people without adequate shelter is cruel and unusual punishment and, therefore, prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, originated in southern Oregon. The central question before the Court revolves around the city’s ordinances prohibiting unhoused individuals from sleeping in public places. During the two-and-a-half hours of oral arguments, one of the main points discussed was the distinction between status and conduct. In the 1962 case Robinson v. Cali ..read more

The US Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a decision that struck down an ATF final rule aimed at limiting ghost guns. Ghost guns are weapons parts kits that can be put together to create a firearm without having to register it. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit previously found that the final rule constitutes unlawful agency action because it “flouts clear statutory text and exceeds the legislatively imposed limits on agency authority in the name of public policy.” Thus, the court ruled that the final rule is “limitless” and that the Gun Control Act (GCA) does not ..read more

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 fight organized crime alongside the police. Voters also approved four additional proposals, including one to allow the extradition of Ecuadorians from the country, another to establish first- and second-instance constitutional courts to c ..read more

The pending deportation of British Columbia, Canada climate activist Zain Haq, scheduled for last Sunday, was called off last week, according to his lawyer Randall Cohn. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) contacted Haq to confirm he would not face a removal order. Haq’s upbringing was in Pakistan before he arrived in Canada on a student visa. However, his visa was revoked following charges linked to protests that caused traffic disruptions in BC’s Lower Mainland. The court learned about Haq’s association with groups like Extinction Rebellion, Stop Fracking Around, and Save Old Growth, th ..read more

The Australian Human Rights Commission released a report on Monday outlining concerns regarding the conditions at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre in Northam, Western Australia. The report highlights issues related to drug trafficking, insufficient healthcare services and the overall well-being of detainees and staff members. According to the report, the Australian Human Rights Commission conducted inspections, interviews and consultations throughout 2023 to ensure compliance with international obligations as part of its ongoing monitoring efforts on immigration detention. One of t ..read more

Director of El Rodeo prison Cosme Parrales was killed Sunday in an attack at a cevicheria in Jipijapa,  a city located in the Manabi province of Ecuador, according to the National Service of Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Violators (SNAI). According to local news, Parrales was a lawyer who had held several positions within the SNAI since 2021 before he was designated as director of El Rodeo prison on April 15. The murder of Parrales took place during the security referendum and popular consultation in Ecuador. There were 11 questions in total, five regard ..read more

JURIST is pleased to announce the members of our 2024-25 student leadership team who will be assuming responsibility as of May 1, 2024. JURIST has grown exponentially over the past several years since we began working with law students around the world. Our staff now comprises more than 100 law students in 25 countries on six continents. With this growth has come a corresponding expansion in our student leadership team. As a global student organization with only a handful of professional staff members, JURIST depends on its team of law student leaders to manage all aspects of the project. We a ..read more

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrested three citizens on suspicion of working for the Chinese secret services to transfer technology with potential military applications on Monday. Officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg arrested German citizens Gerwig F., Ina F. and Thomas R. (surnames withheld due to privacy concerns) on suspicion of working for the Chinese intelligence service from an unspecified date until June 2022 and of committing a crime against the Law on Foreign Trade and Payments. The arrest warrants state that Thomas ..read more

Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday stated that it intends to challenge an order from the Australian eSafety Commissioner demanding the company remove certain posts on the platform regarding the recent attack against a Christian Bishop in Sydney. According to X’s statement, the company received an order from the Australian eSafety Commissioner to remove the relevant posts from the platform globally or face a daily fine of AUD785,000 (approximately $500,000 USD). X, however, has asserted that the posts in question did not violate X’s rules on violent speech, in line with thei ..read more

Oral arguments began Monday in the case that designated Donald Trump as the first former US president to be charged with a crime. In a statement to reporters in advance of opening statements, reposted on his media platform Truth Social, Trump was defiant: These are all Biden trials. This is done as election interference. Everybody knows it. I’m here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania and Georgia and lots of other places campaigning, and it’s very unfair. Fortunately, the poll numbers are very good; they’ve been going up because people understand what’s going on. This is a witch ..read more