India’s Madras High Court rules that nature has legal status on par with humans
The highest court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has ruled that “Mother Nature” has the same legal status as a human being.
Courts
Ketanji Brown Jackson to become first Black woman to serve on U.S. Supreme Court
Jackson made history as the U.S. Senate confirmed her by a vote of 53-47. President Biden nominated Jackson to take over the seat of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
In landmark order, India’s Karnataka High Court affirms sexual assault on wife against her consent is rape
Justice M Nagaprasanna said that the institution of marriage cannot be used to confer any special male privilege or a license for unleashing a “brutal beast” on the wife.
Colombia becomes 4th Latin American country to decriminalize abortion
Now women in Colombia will be able to get abortions until the 24th week of their pregnancy without having to provide any justification.
Mexico’s top court cancels mining concessions near Indigenous communities
A ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court this month canceled two controversial mining concessions in Indigenous communities, which have been fighting to stop the projects for nearly two decades.
Judge restores protections for gray wolves across much of U.S.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland, California, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had failed to show wolf populations could be sustained in the Midwest and portions of the West without protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Ecuador’s top court rules for stronger land rights for Indigenous communities
The ruling will immediately affect oil and mining projects across the country, as they must now seek the consent of Indigenous communities who might be affected by their activities.
Pakistan confirms appointment of first female Supreme Court judge
A commission that decides on the promotion of judges on Thursday voted to make 55-year-old Justice Ayesha Malik the first female judge on the Supreme Court in the 75 years since the South Asian country’s independence.
Landmark ruling blocks mining in Ecuadorian forest, citing rights of nature
Ecuador’s constitutional court has blocked plans to mine copper and gold in Los Cedros, a protected cloud forest, ruling that the plans violate the rights of nature.
Private prison operator must pay inmates minimum wage for work, U.S. federal jury rules
The court found that GEO Group, a private prison operator that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA, is violating the state’s minimum wage laws by paying its workers $1 per day.