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Law News

‘Havoc and harm’: prospect of migrant law sows fear in Texas border town | US-Mexico border

At the Sweet Co coffee shop in downtown Brownsville, the last city at the eastern end of the Texas border before you reach the ocean and Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket base or cross into Mexico, the vibe was chill but the mood was chilly.

Customers were as downcast as the wet weather outside on Wednesday, the day of a court hearing after contrasting legal rulings were made about a new law that will affect people in Brownsville, whether new migrants, US citizens, undocumented residents or others.

Local drag queen and activist Kween Beatrix, also known as Joe Colon-Uvalles, happened to be there, out of drag and sipping coffee. The exuberance of her shows was absent, but her defiance against encroachments on civil and human rights was as present as ever.

“My role has been to inform other drag queens about this law. “Often times, these are not the things normal drag queens do, but that’s just part of my commitment to the community,” she told the Guardian.

“People are going to misinterpret this law because of the constant changes both at the police level and the community level. “All it takes is one bad cop and one person within

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Law News

Council Decision on Request for Moratorium Support or Interim Control By-law

Walker Industries Quarry Application

NIAGARA FALLS, ON – On February 6, 2024, Niagara Falls City Council was asked by an interested resident to write a letter to the Province of Ontario requesting a moratorium on quarries. Council directed Staff to review the request and report back. In addition, on March 5, 2024, as part of the public meeting on the City’s Official Plan, Council received a request for an interim control by-law to halt the quarry application near Fernwood Estates. On March 19, 2024, Staff provided Council with a closed-session report containing legal advice on both requests. Council then resolved in open session to take no position (ie, neither accept nor deny) the request for a moratorium or an interim control by-law at this time. The City has an active Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application that is to be brought to a future Council Public Meeting.

If Council were to issue a decision at this time to either support a moratorium or issue an interim control by-law, such a decision would conflict with the statutory planning process that the City is to follow in respect of the quarry application that is currently before them. The City is obligated

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Law News

China pushes back on international criticism of restrictive new Hong Kong law

HONG KONG — China hit back Wednesday against international criticism of a new national security law passed in Hong Kong, dismissing concerns that it would further eradicate civil liberties in the Chinese territory.

The United States and other governments have expressed opposition to the legislation, known as Article 23, which Hong Kong lawmakers passed unanimously Tuesday night after deliberating at record speed.

“We strongly deplore and firmly oppose individual countries and organizations’ slandering and smearing against the Safeguarding National Security Bill of Hong Kong,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing in Beijing, referring to the Article 23 legislation.

The local law criminalizes treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets and espionage, sabotage endangering national security, and external interference. It is intended to supplement a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

The Hong Kong and Chinese governments say both laws are necessary to restore stability after 2019 pro-democracy protests that sometimes turned violent. But critics say they are driving a broad crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, a former British colony whose Western-style civil liberties such as freedom of expression were guaranteed for 50 years when it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

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Law News

Court action on Texas’ migrant arrest law leads to confusion at US-Mexico border

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A dizzying volley of courtroom maneuvers over a Texas law that would allow the state to arrest and deport people who entered the US illegally sowed confusion at the nation’s border with Mexico on Wednesday as sheriffs, police chiefs and migrants waited for direction.

Texas faced skeptical questioning during a hearing before a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that ended without a ruling, leaving the new law on hold for now. It was part of a flurry of activity that included a decision from the US Supreme Court that allowed the law to take effect for several hours Tuesday. And regardless of how the three-judge panel rules, the legal saga over Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest escalation to prevent illegal border crossings won’t be over.

Yolanis Campo, 42, who traveled from Colombia and crossed the Rio Grande to enter the US from Mexico with her 16-year-old daughter, recommended other migrants take another route because of the confusion over Texas’ law. She was processed by Border Patrol agents who released her with an ankle bracelet to pursue her immigration case.

“It’s more complicated because (federal authorities) tell us we can move

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Law News

MEPs adopt new law banning greenwashing and misleading product information | News

The directive adopted today with 593 votes in favor, 21 against and 14 abstentions seeks to protect consumers from misleading marketing practices and help them make better purchasing choices. To achieve this, a number of problematic marketing habits related to greenwashing and the early obsolescence of goods will be added to the EU list of prohibited commercial practices.

More accurate and reliable advertising

Most importantly, the new rules aim to make product labeling clearer and more trustworthy by banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” without proof.

The use of sustainability labels will also now be regulated, given the confusion caused by their proliferation and failure to use comparative data. In the future, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed in the EU.

Additionally, the directive will ban claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment because of emissions offsetting schemes.

Durability in focus

Another important objective of the new law is making producers and consumers focus more on the durability of goods. In the future, guarantee information has to be more visible and a new,

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Law News

Knock-back for Nature Restoration Law in last-minute political wrangling

The law, which would apply to all EU member states, was voted through by a majority of MEPs last month.

It was due to be formally approved by environment ministers at a Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels next Monday.

However, what was expected to be a rubber-stamping exercise has turned into a bitter row with several member states declaring in pre-Council talks this week that they will not accept it and others abstaining.

Hungary, which previously supported the law, wavered during the week and despite being given extra time to finalize its stance by today, has still not declared one way or the other.

Finalization of the law has now been taken off Monday’s agenda..

While that does necessarily mean the legislation is dead, Monday is the last scheduled meeting of environment ministers before the European elections in June and unless the issue can be resolved over the weekend, the prospects for it look bleak.

Environmental organizations expressed shock and dismay, saying the law had been “held hostage by last-minute political maneuvers”.

“This law, the most significant piece of natural legislation in the EU since the 1990s, now faces an uncertain future, contradicting the EU’s stated commitment to biodiversity

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Law News

Portion of sentence reform law ruled unconstitutional, but sponsor sees fix this session

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – A district court judge has ruled that a portion of a sentencing reform law passed by the State Legislature last year is unconstitutional.

But the author of the bill, State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, said Thursday that there’s still time in the 2024 session to remedy the problem.

The law, Legislative Bill 50, was part of an effort by Wayne to provide more incentives for inmates to engage in rehabilitation programming and perhaps get released on parole earlier. The larger goal was to reduce the state’s chronic prison overcrowding and perhaps avoid the need to build a second new prison, besides one already planned in Lincoln.

LB 50 was a wide-ranging bill that included clauses to allow “geriatric parole” under some circumstances, for inmates 75 years of age or older, and allowed for a “streamlined,” early parole process, granting additional “good time” for well -behaved inmates who participate in rehabilitation programming.

Some of the provisions of LB 50 came out of a review of the state’s prison overcrowding issues led by the nonprofit Crime and Justice Institute. Nebraska’s prisons last year held nearly 1,900 more inmates than they were designed to house.

In October,

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Law News

Appeals court seems skeptical of Texas’ argument for immigration law

Judges on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals appeared unreceptive to argue by Texas’ solicitor general Wednesday that the state’s new immigration law should take effect because it “mirrors” federal law.

A three-judge panel of the court had ruled 2-1 late Tuesday that the measure, known as Senate Bill 4, should be temporarily blocked while the judges hear the case. Earlier Tuesday, the US Supreme Court said it could take effect.

“Texas has a right to defend itself,” state Solicitor General Aaron Nielson said, adding that the district court had acknowledged that “sometimes those associated with the cartels cross over the border with malicious intent.”

Migrants cross into the United States from Mexico in El Paso, Texas, on May 8.
Migrants cross into the United States from Mexico in El Paso, Texas, on May 8.John Moore/Getty Images files

The law, which Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed in December, would allow police officers to arrest migrants and impose criminal penalties. It would also empower state judges to order the deportation of people to Mexico.

Chief Judge Priscilla Richman, a George W. Bush appointee, noted that states don’t have police power to remove people from the US

“This is the first time, it seems to me, that a state has claimed that they

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Law News

Trump’s media merger is unlikely to stop Letitia James from targeting his assets on Monday

Former President Trump stands to gain billions in stock shares in a merger announced Friday of his social media company and a shell company. But that deal may not keep New York Attorney General Letitia James from moving to seize his assets on Monday in order to satisfy the $464 million bond stemming from the judgment in his financial fraud trial. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

New York financial fraud

Media merger will give Trump cash windfall, but won’t shield his assets from Monday’s bond deadline

Key players: New York Attorney General Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron, Trump Media & Technology Group, Digital World Acquisition Corp.

  • On Friday, Trump’s social media company completed a merger with a shell company that could give the former president a cash infusion at a time when he is struggling to pay legal bills and meet more than half a billion dollars in bond obligations, CNN reported.

  • But the deal, which is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion for Trump on paper, won’t prevent James from moving on Monday to seize his assets to try to satisfy the $464 billion bond owed

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Law News

Corporate Law Update: 16 – 22 March 2024

Government sets out first proposals to alleviate non-financial reporting obligations

The Government has published a ministerial statement setting out its initial intentions to reform the UK’s non-financial reporting framework for companies and other business entities, with a view to creating a more proportionate regime.

The statement follows the Government’s call for evidence in June 2023. See our previous Corporate Law Update for more detail on the call for evidence on the UK’s non-financial reporting framework.

The statement confirms the following.

  • Company size thresholds. The Government intends to increase by 50% the financial thresholds used to determine whether a company is micro, small, medium-sized or large. These thresholds determine the level of reporting by a company, with large companies subject to significantly greater reporting requirements. The proposed new thresholds are set out in the statement.

    The Government estimates that this would result in 5,000 companies moving down from “large” to “medium-sized”, and 13,000 companies moving from “medium-sized” to “small”.

    The Government is not currently proposing to amend the current employee headcount thresholds in the short term. However, it intends to consult later in 2024 on amending the threshold for classification as a medium-sized company from 250 employees to 500 employees.

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