Doctors Sentenced for Failing to Provide Abortion

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called for urgent accountability and a halt to escalating violence in the southern Syrian city of Suweida on Friday, following credible reports of mass killings, arbitrary executions, looting, and the forced displacement of civilians. Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani emphasized that “the bloodshed and the violence must stop, and the protection of all people must be the utmost priority, in line with international human rights law.” She cited reports of gross violations, including the deliberate killing of civilians, kidnappings, and the destruction of homes in the predominantly Druze governorate. The human rights chief noted that hundreds of people have been killed since July 12, including the “unlawful killing” of at least 13 people and the reported summary execution of at least 6 men on July 15. The office also documented that one Druze man was forced to…

The Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce. It “is designed to protect consumers from deceptive acts that mislead consumers.” CareerFairs.com v. United Business Media LLC, 838 F. Supp. 2d 1316 (S.D. Fla., Sept. 28, 2011). “A claim for damages under FDUTPA has three elements: (1) a deceptive act or unfair practice; (2) causation; and (3) actual damages.” City First Mortg. Corp. v. Barton, 988 So. 2d 82 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008). An unfair practice is “one that offends established public policy and one that is immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous or substantially injurious to consumers.” PNR, Inc. v. Beacon Property Management, Inc., 842 So. 2d 773 (Fla. 2003). Because FDUTPA is meant to protect consumers, a question arises regarding the extent to which non-consumers can sue under the statute. The Miami business litigation attorneys of…

Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation on Thursday denounced a recently passed law that prohibits the use of puberty blockers, hormone treatment, and gender-affirming surgeries for anybody under the age of 21. The law, called the “Law for the Protection of the Health and Wellbeing of Minors in Puerto Rico,” imposes an up-to-15-year sentence and a $50,000 fine on offenders. The law effectively prohibits “medical procedures or surgeries that alter the biological sex of minors under the pretext of a gender transition, including irreversible hormonal interventions.” Additionally, the law aims to revoke the licenses of any medical professional in contravention. Pedro Julio Serrano, the president of La Federación LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico, said that the law targets transgender minors and their families trying to better their life opportunities. He also said that the federation is looking to seek legal recourse, challenging the constitutionality of the law.…

Czech President Petr Pavel signed a new law on Friday introducing changes to the country’s criminal code that ban support for ideologies considered harmful to public order and societal cohesion, including communism and Nazism. The law forms part of broader initiatives across Eastern Europe to enhance legal frameworks aimed at addressing totalitarian movements. As reported by Euractiv, the amended law establishes prison sentences of up to five years for individuals who create, endorse, or advocate for Nazi, communist, or other movements that are proven to seek the suppression of human rights and freedoms or to provoke hatred based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or social class. While the measure applies to a broad range of ideologically motivated actions, how the law will be applied to political organisations, especially those with communist affiliations, remains uncertain. The new legal revision has drawn widespread criticism from communist parties. The Czech…

From In re Martin, decided yesterday by Bankruptcy Judge Michael Slade (N.D. Ill.): While I appreciate Mr. Nield's and Semrad's remorse and candor [in their response to my order to show cause], I find that they both violated Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9011 [by] {filing a brief containing fake quotations and nonexistent authority manufactured by artificial intelligence}. I further find that a modest, joint-and-several sanction of $5,500, paid to the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, along with a requirement that Mr. Nield and another senior Semrad attorney attend an upcoming course on the dangers of AI scheduled for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) annual meeting in September, is the least harsh sanction that will appropriately address counsel's conduct and deter future, similar misconduct from them and others…. The first reason I issue sanctions stems from Mr. Nield's claim of ignorance—he asserts he didn't know…

The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends The Cambridge Handbook of Experimental Jurisprudence, edited by Kevin Tobia. Here is a description: This handbook introduces readers to the emerging field of experimental jurisprudence, which applies new empirical methods to address fundamental philosophical questions in legal theory. The book features contributions from a global group of leading professors of law, philosophy, and psychology, covering a diverse range of topics such as criminal law, legal interpretation, torts, property, procedure, evidence, health, disability, and international law. Across thirty-eight chapters, the handbook utilizes a variety of methods, including traditional philosophical analysis, psychology survey studies and experiments, eye-tracking methods, neuroscience, behavioural methods, linguistic analysis, and natural language processing. The book also addresses cutting-edge issues such as legal expertise, gender and race in the law, and the impact of…

A devastating tragedy struck Delaware County on Thursday night when a volunteer fire chief lost his life while responding to a drunk driving crash. The 51-year-old assistant chief of the East Branch Fire Department, a dedicated volunteer with over 25 years of service, was electrocuted after downed electrical wires made contact with his fire truck following a vehicle collision on Route 30 in Hancock. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. when the fire chief responded to a crash where an intoxicated driver had struck a utility pole. When the emergency vehicle arrived on scene, a low-hanging electrical wire came into contact with the top of the fire truck. As the fire chief exited the vehicle and touched the metal door, he was fatally electrocuted and declared dead at the scene. The drunk driver, a 54-year-old man from Downsville, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after veering off the road, hitting a guardrail, and then striking the utility pole.…

The Download of the Week is The Supreme Court Under Threat: Early Lessons in Judicial Self-Protection by Curtis Bradley & Neil Siegel. Here is the abstract: This Essay explores how the U.S. Supreme Court, despite being vulnerable to defiance of its decisions and political retaliation, has developed tools of judicial self-protection to preserve its institutional authority as well as the Constitution and the rule of law. Arguing that the Court performs not only a legal role that requires interpretation of the law but also a political one that demands institutional preservation, the Essay examines how the Court has historically navigated political threats by using a range of tools—including avoidance, delay, narrow rulings, strategic dicta, and rhetorical appeals. The Essay focuses on three nineteenth-century episodes: the Jeffersonian backlash following the election of 1800, Georgia’s defiance in the Cherokee Cases in the 1830s, and controversies…

By Andy DelaneyTwo opinions Friday, both about credit, but in very different contexts. In our first case, the credit is for time served. Mr. Davila blew off his furlough and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested in Massachusetts and spent 490 days in the pokey there for both Vermont's warrant and local charges. He wanted that time to count toward his Vermont sentence so he filed a petition requesting as much. The trial court denied credit, siding with the Department of Corrections. The trial court reasoned that under the law, petitioner couldn’t get credit for days spent out of state while an arrest warrant was outstanding, and he wasn’t "awaiting transportation" to Vermont while Massachusetts still had pending charges. So, the trial court granted summary judgment to the State, rejecting petitioner's claim for credit for the Massachusetts jail time. He appeals.  On appeal, a slim SCOV majority agrees with the…

Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles invites applications for a full-time entry-level or experienced Associate Professor or Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Skills. Founded in 1911, Southwestern is an ABA-accredited, independent law school located in the center of Los...

The Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) held a successful Biennial Conference in Phoenix at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (ASU). (mew)

In Indiana, loss of consortium is a legal claim for the loss of love, companionship, and services that one spouse suffers when the other is severely injured or killed due to someone’s negligence. While the term itself sounds clinical and distant, it represents a reality that is deeply personal and painful—the tearing of the beautiful, intricate tapestry you and your spouse wove together.  When a catastrophic accident happens, the harm doesn’t stop with the person who was physically injured; it radiates outward, inflicting a unique and devastating wound on the marital relationship itself. After an accident, the focus is understandably on the visible scars, the broken bones, and the mounting medical bills. But standing right beside the injured person is a husband or wife whose world has also been shattered.  They are living with a profound injury of their own—one that is quieter, less obvious, and often overlooked. Their partner, their confidant,…

Clinical Legal Educators Condemn Political Attack on CUNY Law Professor Ramzi Kassem and CLEAR: July 17, 2025 We are now in the midst of a coordinated and escalating campaign against academic freedom, legal education, and the ethical practice of law from the highest echelons of domestic power and influence. The...

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has some history of failing to learn the lessons from its past information governance mistakes, even seeking to present these as a testament to success.  For example, its publicity video for its 40th anniversary released earlier this year stated that the 2012 Leveson Inquiry, which followed the phone hacking scandal, showed it “stand[ing] up during scandals” and thereby demonstrated a track record of “being there when you need us most”. In fact, backed up by copious evidence, Lord Justice Leveson held that the ICO’s conduct had constituted “regulatory failure” and that this had arisen from it “not be[ing] keen to exercise the powers and functions reposed to it by Parliament” despite “the abundant evidence, both patent and latent, of problems”.  He also explicitly stated that this “was not simply a historic matter; it is perceptible in its…

In the recently-circulated case Re St. Nicholas Radford [2025] ECC Cov 1, Samuel Ch. observed [at 29] that: “It seems…that under both Alsager and Blagdon the decision [to permit exhumation] will depend upon the peculiar circumstances of each case, to which general principles can be applied. So that the petitioner can see consistency here with the approach applied in deciding upon other petitions, I give examples of cases where exhumation was permitted, and why, and where exhumation was refused, albeit each case clearly depends upon its own facts and would not bind my hand absolutely”. The examples of these other “cases on exhumation” are reproduced below with links to the judgments;  the ELS Summary of Re St. Nicholas Radford is here. Other cases on Exhumation “[30]. Examples of cases where exhumation was permitted, and why, and where exhumation was refused, albeit each case clearly depends upon its own facts and would not bind my hand…

A serious traffic collision involving multiple vehicles occurred late Friday night on Interstate 880 South near Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas. The incident, reported at approximately 10:53 PM, involved a black BMW sedan, a dark-colored Toyota RAV4, and two other vehicles. Witnesses reported that the BMW was speeding and racing prior to the collision, which resulted in all lanes being initially blocked. Emergency services were promptly dispatched to the scene, and by 11:18 PM, lanes 4, 5, and 6 were reopened, with all lanes cleared by 11:42 PM. The collision caused significant front-end damage to a Honda CRV and both front and rear damage to a Subaru Forester. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported, but the incident caused major traffic delays as vehicles were moved to the right-hand side of the road. Motorists are advised to exercise caution and adhere to speed limits to prevent such incidents. The California Highway Patrol and towing services, including Pro Star…

On June 30, 2025, tragedy unfolded on Interstate 805 near Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista. A collision involving a Tesla, a motorcycle, and possibly other vehicles left at least one person dead and several more injured. The Tesla flipped onto its roof, blocking lanes late into the night while investigators worked through the wreckage. What caused the crash remains under investigation, but one question is on the minds of riders and families alike:  Was the Tesla driver paying attention, or were they ignoring the safety standards we expect on highways?  When motorcycles and electric vehicles collide, the consequences are rarely minor. Riders have virtually no exterior protection, and even low-speed impacts can turn fatal. But in the aftermath, the legal questions aren’t always straightforward.  How Is Liability Determined in Motorcycle-EV Accidents? In any traffic collision, liability hinges on negligence. Who acted carelessly? Who violated traffic…

The Porter Law Group recently secured a $2.3 million settlement in a medical malpractice case involving the failure to screen for and diagnose prostate cancer, leading to devastating consequences for a 66-year-old patient. The case highlighted serious concerns about patient care standards and the critical importance of prostate cancer screening discussions between physicians and their patients. Was Your Prostate Cancer Misdiagnosed? Schedule your free consultation today and see how we can help. Contact Us The case centered around a primary care physician's failure to discuss or offer PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) testing to his patient over the course of more than 25 years of care. Despite the client's family history of prostate cancer, which significantly increased his risk for developing the disease, the physician never…