The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has condemned the Tunisian government’s escalating repression of lawyers, warning that arrests and prosecutions of legal professionals for exercising free speech or defending politically sensitive clients pose a grave threat to judicial independence and fair trial rights. Central to the concern is the arrest of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab …
In a dramatic escalation, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports, set to begin August 1, 2025. The move comes after lobbying efforts by Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who claims the Supreme Court in Brazil is unfairly targeting his father for political reasons. Trump …
Emil Bove, a former Trump defense attorney and current DOJ official, has come under fire after being nominated by Donald Trump for a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In a scathing letter to the Senate, a group of former federal prosecutors denounced Bove as the “worst conceivable nominee,” …
A decade after China’s largest crackdown on human rights lawyers—the 2015 “709 incident”—legal professionals and activists report that government control over the legal system has intensified under Xi Jinping. While once there was space for lawyers to defend civil rights within China’s own legal framework, today those involved in sensitive cases face harassment, surveillance, and …
In Turkey, the lawyer defending jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has himself been imprisoned amid what he calls a politically motivated purge. Mehmet Pehlivan, who represents İmamoğlu (President Erdoğan’s main rival), was detained in June on charges of belonging to a “criminal organization,” a charge he insists is entirely fabricated. Pehlivan told Reuters from prison …
In a dramatic shift, both the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress have increasingly deferred to President Donald Trump’s authority, signaling a rebalancing of constitutional powers in favor of the executive. The Supreme Court recently ruled that federal judges cannot issue nationwide injunctions on presidential actions—even if unconstitutional—and upheld presidential immunity for core official duties. Congress, …
U.S. President Donald Trump harshly criticized Israeli prosecutors over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial, asserting that the legal proceedings threaten to undermine regional diplomacy during a sensitive period. Netanyahu, who was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust—all of which he denies—is scheduled for cross-examination on Monday. A …
In a major legal rebuke, a fourth federal judge has struck down a Trump executive order targeting the elite law firm Susman Godfrey. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan, deemed the order “unconstitutional from beginning to end,” echoing prior decisions that permanently blocked similar actions against Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, and …
On June 17, 2025, New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by ICE agents at an immigration court in Manhattan. Lander was escorting an immigrant defendant when he was detained, allegedly for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer. Lander denies the accusations and has not been formally charged. Federal …
The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) has strongly objected to a summons issued by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) to senior counsel Arvind Datar, who had provided legal advice to Care Health Insurance in an ESOP-related matter. SCAORA argues that targeting lawyers for offering legal opinions undermines both the independence of the legal profession and the …