Collection Items
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Prisoners' (Jan. 11, 2012) The High Court of England and Wales recently dismissed a case in which prisoners claimed that the practice of requiring them to urinate or defecate in plastic buckets violated their human rights. The Court held that it did not violate the prisoners' human rights as provided in the Human Rights Act 1998, […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2012-01-11
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Indeterminate Sentences Not Unlawful (June 1, 2009) The House of Lords, the UK's final court of appeal, has recently ruled that indeterminate sentences for public protection (commonly known as IPPs) should remain in place, despite there being a lack of adequate resources available to prisoners sentenced under these provisions that might aid them in securing their release. The current […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2009-06-01
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Government Proposes Reforms to the Civil Courts The government of England and Wales recently issued a public consultation seeking opinions on reforms to the civil justice system. In an effort to promote settling disputes outside of court, the government proposes to automatically divert all small claims in the civil courts (considered to be claims under 10,000 pounds (£) (about US$12,000)) to receive … Continue reading “England and Wales: Government Proposes Reforms...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2022-09-21
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ArticleEngland and Wales: High Court Rules Asylum-Seeker Housing Unlawful On June 3, 2021, the High Court of England and Wales found that housing provided to asylum seekers in Napier Barracks in southeast England by the Home Office was unlawful due to poor living conditions and the adverse impact of those conditions on the physical and mental health of the asylum seekers. (R, on the … Continue reading “England and Wales: High Court Rules...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2021-07-18
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Role of Magistrates' Court in Decline? (Sept. 22, 2010) The magistrates' courts in England and Wales have witnessed a decline in the number of cases over the past ten years, with over 310,000 offenders fewer heard in 2009 than in 1999. The role of the magistrate, which is coming up on its 650-year anniversary next year, is to deliver justice locally, […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2010-09-22
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Social Media and Naming Rape Victims (May 16, 2012) It was reported on April 24, 2012, that 12 people across England and Wales have been arrested for allegedly both naming and harassing by means of social media a victim of rape, following the conviction of Sheffield United Football Club's Ched Evans. (Ched Evans: Rape Case Twitter Arrests Warning by Police, BBC […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2012-05-16
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Thousands Receive Posthumous Pardon for Homosexuality Convictions (Feb. 23, 2017) Section 166 of the recently enacted Policing and Crime Act of England and Wales granted approximately 49,000 deceased gay and bisexual men a posthumous pardon for offenses they were convicted of under the old sexual offenses laws that had provided that homosexuality was a crime. The Act also states that any living person who […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2017-02-23
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Drop in Compensation for Helmetless Cyclist (Mar. 20, 2009) A High Court ruling has caused concern that cyclists in England not wearing helmets while riding their bikes could face a reduction in compensation for accidents, even where they are not at fault. There is no law in England requiring that cyclists wear helmets when biking. The ruling, following the principles of […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2009-03-20
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Report Criticizes Implementation of Child Protection Laws (Mar. 25, 2009) In the wake of a tragic case in England in which a toddler, known only as “baby P,” was killed by his mother, her live-in boyfriend, and their lodger, despite being seen by social services and doctors over 60 times prior to his death, a government report criticizing the implementation of child […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2009-03-25
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ArticleEngland and Wales: School Girl Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges (Aug. 27, 2015) A 16-year-old school girl pled guilty to two counts of terrorism offenses in a youth court in England, after a counter-terrorism unit conducted an investigation that resulted in the discovery on the girl’s cellphone of instructions on how to build a bomb, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propaganda, and images […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2015-08-27
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Amnesty International Worker Wins Discrimination Case (Oct. 9, 2009) An employment tribunal upheld a claim by a worker for Amnesty International that she was discriminated against on the basis of race and ethnic origin. The worker, a Sudanese national, had applied for a promotion as a Sudanese researcher for the organization but was unsuccessful due to concerns that “her ethnic origin […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2009-10-09
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ArticleEngland and Wales: 400-Year-Old Expert Witness Immunity Abolished (Mar. 31, 2011) The Supreme Court, sitting as a panel of seven judges, has abolished a 400-year-old law that grants expert witnesses testifying in court immunity from charges of breach of duty in contract or negligence. This law was based upon public policy over concern that expert witnesses should be able to provide “testimony freely […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2011-03-31
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Legal Age for Marriage Raised from 16 to 18 The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, which received royal assent on April 28, 2022, entered into force in England and Wales on February 27, 2023. The act, which was a private member’s bill that received widespread cross-party support, amends the Marriage Act 1949 and increases the minimum age to marry in England … Continue reading “England and Wales: Legal Age for...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2023-03-22
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Sentence Increased for Defendant Convicted of Importing Prohibited Weapons On July 27, 2022, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales increased the sentence of an individual convicted of attempting to import a gun into the United Kingdom (U.K.). The sentence for Haroon Iqbal, who was originally sentenced to two years and three months in prison for attempting to possess a prohibited weapon, was … Continue reading “England and Wales: Sentence Increased for...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2022-10-17
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ArticleEngland and Wales: News Broadcasters Permitted to Film Crown Court Sentencing Remarks for First Time July 28, 2022, marked a moment of legal history in England and Wales when, for the first time, sentencing remarks from a judge in the Crown Court were broadcast on news channels. The case involved a 25-year-old man who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his grandfather. The law prohibiting filming and recording audio in court … Continue reading “England and Wales: News Broadcasters...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2022-11-01
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Law Commission Recommends Update to 19th-Century Consumer Protection Laws On April 23, 2021, the Law Commission for England and Wales published a draft bill to update rules contained in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 regarding the “transfer of ownership under contracts for the sale of goods between a trader and a consumer.” The proposals build upon a previous report from 2016 by the Law … Continue reading “England and Wales: Law Commission Recommends...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2021-08-18
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Home Office Policy Regarding Family Reunification and Unaccompanied Children Ruled Unlawful On July 5, 2021, the High Court of England and Wales ruled in R (on the Application of Safe Passage International) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Decision) that two parts of the Home Office’s policy relating to European law on the reunification of asylum seekers with their families under the Dublin III … Continue reading “England and Wales: Home Office Policy...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2021-08-30
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ArticleEngland and Wales: High Court Rules Asylum Seeker Removed from UK Must Be Brought Back On July 6, 2021, the High Court of England and Wales ruled in AA (Sudan) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (decision) that a Sudanese asylum seeker who had been removed from the U.K. to France must be brought back pending the outcome of litigation over the asylum claim.Background to the CaseThe plaintiff, … Continue reading “England and Wales: High Court Rules...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2021-08-23
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Employment Tribunal Rules Gender-Critical Beliefs Protected by Equality Act In a decision handed down on June 10, 2021, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) in England and Wales held that a worker’s gender-critical beliefs toward transgender people are protected as a philosophical belief under section 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Consequently, firing an employee for having gender-critical beliefs could be discriminatory against the worker.The … Continue reading “England and Wales: Employment Tribunal Rules...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2021-07-19
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Social Housing Bill Moves Closer to Royal Assent The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill is currently in the report stage of the House of Commons. Described as providing “a major reset of power between tenants and landlords,” the bill will amend the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. Introduced in the House of Lords in June 2022, the bill aims to complete the Conservative party’s … Continue reading “England and Wales: Social Housing Bill...
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2023-03-08
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Parents Will Not Be Prosecuted for Son's Suicide (Dec. 17, 2008) The Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales has made the decision, issued on December 9, 2008, not to prosecute the parents of a 23-year-old paralyzed man who accompanied him to Switzerland to a suicide clinic. The parents faced prosecution in England for aiding and abetting a suicide; under the Suicide […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2008-12-17
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Compensation for Rape Victims Reduced Due to Drinking as Contributing Factor (Sept. 2, 2008) The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, a body responsible for administering the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in England and Wales, recently reduced the amount of compensation awarded to 14 victims of rape. The Authority claimed that the women's “excessive consumption of alcohol” was a contributing factor in the rapes and that the compensation […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2008-09-02
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Child Sex Offender Registry Information Made Available to Parents (Oct. 6, 2010) An existing program, known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, that allows parents to check whether people in contact with their children have a record of child sexual offenses or other offenses that may put a child at risk, has been recently extended to 24 police forces across England and Wales. […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2010-10-06
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Court of Protection Grants Vasectomy for Man with Learning Disabilities (Aug. 21, 2013) In an historic judgment, the Court of Protection for England and Wales has ruled that it is in the “best interests” of a 37-year old man with an IQ of 40 – classified as having a moderate learning difficulty – to be sterilized. In this case, the man, who has the mental […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2013-08-21
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ArticleEngland and Wales: Owners of Dogs That Kill Could Face Life Imprisonment (Aug. 8, 2013) In the face of an increase in the number of dog bites that cause serious injuries or fatalities in England and Wales, the British government is currently proposing the introduction of new legal provisions to stiffen the penalties against owners whose dogs cause such injuries and to extend the scope of the […]
- Contributor: Feikert-Ahalt, Clare
- Date: 2013-08-08