Mexico’s supreme court decriminalizes recreational use of cannabis
The decisive 8-3 ruling comes after advocates pushed for decriminalization as a means to reduce drug-fueled cartel violence in the country.
Courts
Belgium court deems inadequate climate policy a human rights violation
Climate campaigners claimed a “historic victory” after a Brussels court on Thursday condemned Belgium for its climate policy that breaches the country’s duty of care and human rights obligations.
India High Court bans medical attempts to ‘cure’ sexual orientation
In a groundbreaking judgment on the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, the Madras High Court on Monday, June 7, issued guidelines for creating a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ persons and to ensure that they are not harassed by the police.
Derek Chauvin found guilty of the murder of George Floyd
“But today I won’t get that time to sleep, because I’m going to stay up and I’m going to celebrate, because this is a day of celebration. I’m happy, man,” Philonise Floyd told CNN’s Don Lemon.
Court ends Trump’s attempt to allow drilling in 128 million acres of Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
In April of 2017, Trump signed an executive order aiming to undo an Obama-era ban on fossil fuel exploration in that territory, but a federal judge in Alaska ruled the move unlawful in 2019.
Indonesian campaigners triumph against a coal mine in top court
Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected a final appeal from a coal company after it and the ministry of energy and mines lost a lawsuit filed by the Indonesian NGO Walhi three years earlier.
New York must offer vaccine to all prisoners immediately, judge rules
A judge in the Bronx ruled that people incarcerated in the state’s prisons and jails had been arbitrarily excluded from the coronavirus vaccine rollout.
U.S. Federal Judge blocks further oil and gas extraction in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest
The ruling rebuked the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for failing to consider threats to public health, endangered species, and watersheds before opening more than 40,000 acres of the forest to fracking last year.
Supreme Court Of Canada upholds national carbon tax
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled this week a federal carbon tax that is legal pursuant to the “peace, order, and good government” provisions of the Canadian constitution.
Japanese court rules same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional
The court ruled that sexual orientation, like race, is not a matter of individual preference and therefore denying same-sex couples the same benefits as straight couples is unconstitutional.