India’s top court legalizes abortion regardless of marital status
A law dating from 1971 had limited the procedure to married women, divorcees, widows, minors, “disabled and mentally ill women” and survivors of sexual assault or rape.
Courts
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court strikes down ban on buggery
The Offenses Against the Person Act, imported from England, criminalized “unnatural offenses” and carried a maximum penalty of 10 years with hard labor.
Brazil’s High Court first to declare Paris Agreement a human rights treaty
As a result of the ruling, if Brazil’s Congress passes a law that conflicts with the Paris Agreement, the Paris Agreement should take precedence.
Caribbean court strikes down gay ban in Antigua & Barbuda
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court found that Antigua and Barbuda’s 1995 Sexual Offenses Act “offends the right to liberty, protection of the law, freedom of expression, protection of personal privacy and protection from discrimination on the basis of sex.”
Polish court rules that four “LGBT-free zones” must be abolished
“Today’s decision… is a great victory for democracy, human rights and respect for people,” Poland’s Campaign Against Homophobia wrote in a social media post.
African court rules in favor of Indigenous land titles, reparations from the Kenyan government
The African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights has ruled that the Kenyan government must pay reparations for repeatedly evicting Indigenous Ogiek people from ancestral lands in the Mau Forest.
Lincoln Crowley appointed Australia’s first Indigenous supreme court justice
Colleagues said Crowley, a well-regarded barrister and former crown prosecutor who was made Queen’s Counsel in 2018, had broken a significant barrier for First Nations people.
Same-sex partners in Croatia can now legally adopt children
Zagreb’s Administrative Court ruled on April 21 that same-sex couples should not face discrimination in state adoption, according to the Rainbow Families Association (RFA).
India’s Madras High Court rules that nature has legal status on par with humans
The highest court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has ruled that “Mother Nature” has the same legal status as a human being.
Ketanji Brown Jackson to become first Black woman to serve on U.S. Supreme Court
Jackson made history as the U.S. Senate confirmed her by a vote of 53-47. President Biden nominated Jackson to take over the seat of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.