JURIST Guest Columnist Mohamed Arafa of Indiana University discusses the new French president, Emmanuel Macron's foreign policy in Muslim and Middle Eastern world ... Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old and the ex-minister of economics, is now the France's new president after crushing his bitter rival the far-right wing Marine Le Pen in the fight for the presidency and real democracy. This …

JURIST Guest Columnist Mark R. Killenbeck of the University of Arkansas School of Law discusses Alabama's HB 24 which allows adoption agencies to refuse to place foster children with same-sex couples according to religious beliefs ... In March 1967, a three-judge district court in Lee v. Macon County Board of Education condemned Alabama's "relentless opposition" to the elimination of its …

JURIST Guest Columnist, David M. Crane, of Syracuse University School of Law discusses the importance of the rule of law in restoring the ideals of humanity and morality on a global scale...There is a growling of a discontent, an unrest, just below the surface, festering ready to erupt into a boil of frustration. The salve of the rule of law …

JURIST Guest Columnist, Roy S. Gutterman, of School of Public Communications at Syracuse University discusses the implications of late-night television political satire and the effect of FCC regulation on the First Amendment...Since the election late-night TV show hosts have been making a killing at the expense of the Trump administration. But new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Ajit Pai, intimated …

JURIST Contributing Editor Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, discusses the legal framework of a potential Trump impeachment...Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has responded to the crescendo of outrage by appointing former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of …

JURIST Guest Columnist Greg Barns, Lecturer in Jurisprudence RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia) and Anna Talbot, Legal and Policy Adviser Australian Lawyers Alliance discuss the human rights of unwell asylum seekers at the refugee facility on Manus Island... On April 30th, the National Court of Papua New Guinea granted an urgent request for an injunction to prevent Lebanese asylum seeker Azzam …

JURIST Guest Columnist Ricardo Arredondo, a professor at University of Buenos Aires, responds to David Crane's commentary article in respect to the international law on the use of force... A few days ago Prof. Crane wrote a very interesting article about the international law on the use of force, particularly regarding in situations where mass atrocities are being committed. The …

JURIST Guest Columnist David M. Crane and Catherine Read discuss the Supreme Court's decision on denying cert in the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit... Last Monday, 24 April, it was easy to miss the important news that the Supreme Court denied cert in the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to make public the full Senate Intelligence Committee report …

JURIST Guest Columnist Mohamed Abdelaal, a professor at Alexandria University School of Law and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, discusses how the revival of the Emergency Law No. 162 of 1958 can negatively impact the rule of law in Egypt.... Egypt's longtime former president Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to step down during the Egyptian Revolution of …

JURIST Guest Columnist David M. Crane, Syracuse University College of Law, discusses the necessity of use of force in the Syrian conflict... The cornerstone to the UN paradigm is to settle disputes peacefully, using force only as a last resort. Yet, restoring international peace and security sometimes requires a hardened approach to ensure that peace and security.  There are decades …

JURIST Guest Columnist Dara Purvis of Penn State Law discusses some deficiencies of a recent Texas bill resembling North Carolina's "HB2"...In January, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick introduced Senate Bill 6 (SB6), another so-called "bathroom bill" aimed at preventing transgender Texans from using a bathroom consistent with their gender identity. The bill itself is straightforward, with two primary effects. The …

JURIST Guest Columnist Christopher N. Lasch of the University of Denver discusses Attorney General Sessions' position on sanctuary cities ... As JURIST previously reported, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has threatened to cut Department of Justice funding to so-called "sanctuary" cities. The Attorney General's comments during the White House press briefing on March 27, 2017, and on other occasions, demonstrate that …

JURIST Guest Columnist Professor Monte Mills of the University of Montana's Alexander Blewett III School of Law discusses the Dakota Accesss and Keystone XL's joint impact on tribal treaty rights ... On March 23, Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, determined that issuing a permit to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline (KXL) …

JURIST Guest Columnist James M. Grijalva discusses the recent controversy concerning the Dakota Access Pipeline...As spring emerged on the northern plains in late March, news broke of unrelated but congenerous developments in the long running sagas of two oil pipelines proposed for the Midwestern United States. The Energy Transfer partnership completed construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under Lake Oahe …

JURIST Guest Columnist Ali Khan discusses the potential deportation of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, and international documents' and treaties' prohibition on state actions like deportation...Threats of deportations are evolving into a global phenomenon as nativism, racism, and xenophobia sweep the world. All over the world, nations are turning against "foreigners," particularly against the most vulnerable …

JURIST Guest Columnist William G. Ross of Samford University's Cumberland School of Law discusses the constitutional legacy of the First World War... American entry into the First World War one hundred years ago, on April 6, 1917, generated significant constitutional changes that resonate a century later. The war enormously expanded the economic regulatory powers of the federal government, laid the …

JURIST Guest Columnist William W. Berry III of the University of Mississippi School of Law discusses the constitutional questions and unclear future of the death penalty ... The State of Mississippi legislature has recently passed a bill to amend its death penalty statute to provide for additional alternative methods of execution if lethal injection becomes unconstitutional, and to broaden …

JURIST Guest Columnist Erika Wilson of University of North Carolina School of Law, discusses the potential perils of Kentucky's new charter school law ... On March 21, 2017, Kentucky governor Matt Bevin signed into law House Bill ("HB") 520, a bill that will allow charters schools to operate in Kentucky for the first time in the state's history. Beginning with …

JURIST Guest Columnist Valena Beety of West Virginia University College of Law, discusses the impending Arkansas execution of eight people in ten days ... The state of Arkansas plans to execute eight people across ten days this April. Arkansas will attempt to execute two people per day on four days in order to use up their stock of execution …

Sleight of Hand in Florida's New Death Penalty: Requiring, But Not Requiring, Jury Unanimity JURIST Guest Columnist Chance Meyer of Shepard Broad College of Law,NOVA Southeastern University, discusses the Florida Supreme Court's recent death penalty decision in Hurst and its implications ... Dai Vernon knew how to spot a cardsharp. He searched the country for the best of them, learned …

JURIST Contributing Editor Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, discusses the constitutional violations resulting from the executive order banning nationals from six Muslim-majority countries...After a federal district court judge and a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Donald Trump's Executive Order (EO) instituting a travel ban was likely …

JURIST Guest Columnist Jonathan Hafetz of Seton Hall University School of Law discusses President Trump's travel order revision...In effort to stave off legal challenges to his initial Executive Order (EO) banning travel by nationals of seven predominantly Muslim-majority countries, President Donald J. Trump issued a revised EO that addresses several shortcomings. Yet, the new EO, issued on March 6, 2017, …

JURIST Guest Columnist Benjamin G. Davis of University of Toledo College of Law discusses the International Criminal Court's looking into investigating Americans for criminal prosecution for torture of prisoners in Afghanistan...As has been recently reported in the news, the International Criminal Court is looking into investigating Americans for criminal prosecution for torture in Afghanistan. A commentary at lawfareblog almost solely …

JURIST Guest Columnist Laurie Blank, Emory Law School, discusses the recent airstrikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen, and how self-defense raises questions in US response against al Qaeda... Last week's sustained campaign of airstrikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen brought the conflict with al Qaeda to the forefront of our attention, after a few years of heavy media …

JURIST Guest Columnist Josephine R. Potuto discusses some of the controversies facing collegiate athletes today...Are college athletes employees? Are college athletes entitled to be paid for competing on college teams? Should college athletes be able to market their names and likenesses? Should college athletes share in profits made when their schools, or the NCAA, markets their names and likenesses? Do …