Business and Human Rights – could the UK adopt mandatory human rights due diligence?

On 28 November 2023, Baroness Young of Hornsey introduced the Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities Duty (Human Rights and Environment) Bill (the “Bill”) to the House of Lords.  If passed, the Bill would introduce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (“HREDD”) into UK law.

The description of “reasonable” HREDD set out in the Bill is consistent with the standards set out in the UN Guiding Principles and existing and draft legislation in other jurisdictions (including … Read the rest

Justices consider civil rights tester’s right to sue

Justices consider civil rights tester’s right to sue

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral argument in the case of a civil rights tester who searches the internet to find hotels whose websites do not provide information about the accessibility of their facilities, as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The owner of a Maine hotel argued that because the tester, Deborah Laufer, never intended to stay at the hotel, she does not have a legal right to bring a lawsuit. But after roughly 90 minutes … Read the rest

Once-suspended Twitter user argues California violated his First Amendment rights

Once-suspended Twitter user argues California violated his First Amendment rights

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The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

Last week the federal government encouraged the justices to review a pair of petitions involving two nearly identical laws in Florida and Texas that seek to regulate how large social media platforms can block, remove, or demonetize user content. Lawmakers in both states passed the bills to address what they … Read the rest

Civil rights “tester” asks court to dismiss case

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Lawyers for a self-appointed civil rights “tester” have asked the Supreme Court to dismiss her case as moot – that is, no longer a live controversy. Deborah Laufer, who has physical disabilities and vision impairments, told the justices that she has voluntarily dismissed her case in the district court after an attorney who represented her in other cases was disciplined by a federal court in Maryland. But lawyers for the hotel company that Laufer is suing urged the justices … Read the rest

Dealing with investor’s veto rights for startups

Any sensible investor would want to minimise their downside risks when making an investment especially in a risky asset class portfolio such as when investing in an early stage startup. The common way on how this may be achieved is by inclusion of veto rights over certain major company actions.

With the exceptions to angels, families and friends, most financial investors (i.e. people that spend their full time daily as an investor) such as corporates and venture capitals will want … Read the rest

Court grants review in new batch of cases, including dispute on religious rights of employees

Court grants review in new batch of cases, including dispute on religious rights of employees

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The Supreme Court will review how employers must accommodate their employees’ religious practices, how courts should decide whether threatening statements are protected by the First Amendment, and whether a local government violated the Constitution when it confiscated and sold a $ 40,000 home based on the owner’s failure to pay $ 15,000 in property taxes.

Those issues are among a slew of new disputes that the justices added to their docket on Friday afternoon in an order list from … Read the rest

On Bill of Rights Day, Mary Beth Tinker Encourages Students to ‘Speak up’

To mark the anniversary of the Bill of Rights, on Dec. 15, Vietnam War protester Mary Beth Tinker Tinker will participate virtually in a ceremony prior to installing the armband in its temporary home in the Judicial Learning Center at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis. 
Judiciary News – United States CourtsRead the rest