Human Rights

Litigation over abortion bans begins at state level; judges block laws in 5 states

Updated: Supporters of abortion rights are taking their battle to state courts after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday.

Jun 28, 2022 10:43 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Transgender students would be covered by Title IX; lawyer’s contempt conviction upheld

Title IX protections would be expanded The Biden administration has proposed changes that would expand protections for sex discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal law that applies to schools that receive federal assistance. The changes clarify that protections against discrimination apply to sexual orientation,…

Jun 24, 2022 3:42 PM CDT

Supreme Court is more conservative than most Americans, surveys show

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions have recently become more conservative than the policy preferences of most Americans, according to a series of three surveys taken in 2010, 2020 and 2021.

Jun 9, 2022 1:58 PM CDT

Federal judge strikes down sign law requiring transgender bathroom warnings

A federal judge in Nashville, Tennessee, has struck down a state law requiring businesses to post warning signs if they allow transgender people to use restrooms that match their gender identity.

May 19, 2022 1:16 PM CDT

Judge cites challengers’ religious beliefs in blocking transgender health care requirements

A federal judge in North Dakota has blocked the federal government from requiring members of the Christian Employers Alliance to provide health coverage for gender transition services.

May 18, 2022 12:45 PM CDT

Federal judge blocks school from disciplining teacher if she outs transgender students to their parents

A federal judge in Kansas City, Kansas, has temporarily blocked a school district from disciplining a teacher who had religious objections to a policy that prevented her from outing transgender students to their parents.

May 17, 2022 3:04 PM CDT

Alito sidesteps question about collegiality during remote appearance at law school

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, author of the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, managed to evade a question about Supreme Court collegiality during a remote law school appearance Thursday.

May 13, 2022 9:32 AM CDT

Lawyers who released Trump’s ‘dangerous’ fruit deposition should be sanctioned, motion says

Opposing counsel should be sanctioned for releasing deposition testimony in which former President Donald Trump expressed his fear of being hit by hurled fruit, according to a motion filed by Trump’s lawyers.

May 5, 2022 11:42 AM CDT

Legal experts fear loss of abortion right could usher in end of same-sex marriage, other rights

In the two days since Politico published a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that seems to strike down Roe v. Wade, several legal experts have expressed concerns that the same reasoning that eliminates the right to abortion could also put other constitutional rights at risk.

May 4, 2022 4:06 PM CDT

How and why Kazakhstan gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons

When the Soviet Union dissolved and Kazakhstan became a sovereign state, it now had a conundrum: Should the country retain the nuclear weapons and become the world’s fourth largest nuclear power or relinquish them in return for international commitments?

Apr 20, 2022 8:35 AM CDT

ABA policy summit yields recommendations for racial equity and social justice

“Since the 2020 presidential election, the Biden-Harris administration has offered policy correctives on a spectrum of civil rights and social justice issues. Still, we have more to accomplish,” writes ABA Journal columnist Engy Abdelkader.

Apr 4, 2022 9:50 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: BigLaw firm settles ‘mommy track’ suit; ban on scraped court data challenged

Morrison & Foerster settles ‘mommy track’ suit Morrison & Foerster has settled with two remaining plaintiffs in a lawsuit contending that the law firm discriminates against lawyer moms. In a joint filing, plaintiffs Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman joined the law firm in a March 22 stipulation of dismissal.…

Apr 1, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

Should the UN establish a right to a healthy environment? ABA urges US to vote yes

In a late February briefing, Nadia Ahmad introduced a group of ABA members and Capitol Hill staffers to Resolution 48/13—a measure adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council that for the first time recognizes having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right.

Mar 29, 2022 8:51 AM CDT

Top UN court sees no evidence to support Russia’s claim of Ukrainian genocide, orders halt to invasion

The United Nations’ top court on Wednesday told Russia to halt military operations in Ukraine in interim “provisional measures” that are issued before a case is formally heard.

Mar 16, 2022 12:51 PM CDT

Russia is no-show at international court hearing on Ukraine invasion

Russia has declined to participate in a hearing before the International Court of Justice on its invasion of Russia.

Mar 8, 2022 1:19 PM CST