Climate Change Series

UN ruling could be a game-changer for climate refugees and climate action

Jan 29, 2020 06:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The recent ruling by the United Nations that governments cannot return people to countries where their lives might be threatened by climate change is a potential game-changer not just for climate refugees, but also for...

US under Trump Series

Does impeachment need a crime? Not according to framers of the Constitution

Jan 28, 2020 08:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Politics

Donald Trumps legal and political defenders are all singing the same refrain: The president cant be impeached; he hasnt committed a crime. Alan Dershowitz, the constitutional lawyer now representing Trump, said it...

Gay rights dispute is pulling apart the United Methodist Church, after decades of argument

Jan 28, 2020 08:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States, is headed toward a divorce. In early January, mediators from across the United Methodist Church proposed a separation plan to...

Australia's National Digital ID is here, but the government's not talking about it

Jan 28, 2020 08:20 am UTC| Law

The Australian governments Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has spent more than A$200 million over the past five years developing a National Digital ID platform. If successful, the project could streamline commerce,...

ACT cannabis laws come into effect on Friday, but they may not be what you hoped for

Jan 28, 2020 08:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

New cannabis cultivation and possession laws come into effect in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on Friday, January 31. But theyre not what most cannabis enthusiasts would be hoping for. The ACT laws are a good...

Supreme Court: Can a corporation be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment?

Jan 27, 2020 03:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

Yes, you read that headline right. As far-fetched as it sounds, the Supreme Court of Canada just heard a case that raises the question of whether the protection against cruel and unusual punishment set out in the Canadian...

Why California is banning chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide: 5 questions answered

Jan 24, 2020 06:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

Editors note: California, the top U.S. food-producing state, is ending use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide associated with neurodevelopmental problems and impaired brain function in children. Gina Solomon, a principal...