International Law

Black US citizen seeks refugee status in Canada on account of his race

A U.S. citizen is seeking refugee status in Canada because he says he’s afraid of being killed by police in this country because he is black. Kyle Lydell Canty, 30, argued his case at an Oct. 23 hearing before Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board in Vancouver, B.C., CBC News reports.…

Oct 27, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Baby born on China Airlines flight diverted to Alaska eligible for US citizenship, official says

A Taiwanese woman who gave birth on Oct. 8 aboard a China Airlines flight to Los Angeles that was diverted to Alaska may have succeeded in what local media in Taiwan have portrayed as an effort to gain U.S. citizenship for the baby. A state official in Alaska says an…

Oct 23, 2015 2:00 PM CDT

Lawyer arrested for allegedly helping Mexican drug kingpin escape from prison

The New York Times reported Thursday that attorney Oscar Manuel Gómez and five others have been arrested for allegedly helping plan and carry out Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s escape from prison in July. The Times reported that Gómez allegedly planned his client’s escape, and used his regular…

Oct 23, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

Standing issue gives Jay Z win in infringement suit over ‘Big Pimpin’’

A federal judge has ended an infringement trial against Jay Z over his song ‘Big Pimpin’’ with a ruling that the Egyptian plaintiff did not have standing to bring the claim on behalf of his late uncle. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder of Los Angeles ruled for Jay Z and…

Oct 22, 2015 8:01 AM CDT

Rhino hunter and US clubs sue Delta Airlines over transport ban on big-game trophies

Delta Airlines is facing a federal lawsuit over a ban it imposed on transporting big-game trophies in the wake of an international controversy over the hunting death of an African lion that was attributed to a Minnesota dentist. Although other airlines imposed similar bans, Delta has the best flight to…

Oct 16, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Refilming ‘Escape from New York’ plot in outer-space setting violated copyright law, court rules

When the French sci-fi film Lockout was released in 2012, critics noticed how similar the storyline was to the 1981 cult classic Escape from New York, albeit now taking place in outer space. A French court saw substantial similarities, too, ruling that those who made the French film plagiarized from…

Oct 16, 2015 1:20 PM CDT

Pistorius to serve remaining sentence for law grad’s slaying on house arrest

Almost exactly one year after he was sentenced to five years in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius is about to be allowed to serve the rest of his time on house arrest instead of in prison, starting next week. Law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp was killed…

Oct 16, 2015 11:20 AM CDT

In a first, US claims hacker’s actions provided material support to terrorists

The United States has charged a hacker in Malaysia with providing material support to ISIS by passing along stolen data about U.S. service members. Malaysian authorities have detained the suspect, Kosovo citizen Ardit Ferizi, on a U.S. provisional arrest warrant, report the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)…

Oct 16, 2015 7:21 AM CDT

ACLU sues 2 psychologists who ‘designed the torture methods’ used by CIA

Two former military psychologists who played a significant role in developing a U.S. interrogation program described by some opponents as tantamount to torture were never charged with any crime. But in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington state, the American Civil Liberties Union seeks to hold the…

Oct 14, 2015 12:20 PM CDT

Synthetic DNA could help foil problem of forged art, experts say

A new system is being developed that could help curtail high-priced sales of art forgeries, experts say. Along with the real artist’s signature, a unique pattern of synthetic DNA would be embedded in the artwork when it is created, the New York Times (reg. req.) explains. The bioengineered “tag” could…

Oct 13, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Supreme Court considers woman’s right to sue in US for accident on Austrian national railroad

Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared to side with the Austrian national railroad during oral arguments on Monday on its claim that it is immune from an injury suit in the United States. The suit was filed by a California woman who lost her legs in an accident in…

Oct 6, 2015 10:47 AM CDT

EU court strikes down agreement for digital transfers of personal data to US

The European Court of Justice ruled declared invalid an international agreement for moving its citizens’ digital data to U.S. servers, saying their privacy might be violated—especially by U.S. government surveillance, the New York Times reports. The ruling by the EU’s highest court, which cannot be appealed, is a serious blow…

Oct 6, 2015 10:47 AM CDT

Lawyer who dodged train fare will pay restitution based on discounted weekly pass rate

A British lawyer who cut the cost of commuting to London by pretending to travel from a station much closer to the city’s center would have had to—over a period of more than 2½ years— pay tens of thousands of pounds in train fare at the daily rate. But a…

Sep 30, 2015 1:50 PM CDT

Allen & Overy, first UK Magic Circle firm to open in Toronto, is closing its office there

Only a year after Allen & Overy became the first of London’s leading corporate law firms to open an office in Toronto, the so-called Magic Circle firm is closing the Canadian outpost. The move follows the announced plan of founding Toronto partner Francois Duquette to take an in-house job at…

Sep 29, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Latham tops Global 100 with $2.6B in earnings; revenue is up 4.5% overall

Beating out two perennial mega-firm rivals for the number-one spot among the Global 100, Latham & Watkins for the first time is the world’s largest law firm by revenue. Its $2.6 billion in earnings is the second-largest figure ever reported in the American Lawyer’s survey of the biggest global firms;…

Sep 29, 2015 11:00 AM CDT