Ruling

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that voting districts can no longer be drawn along racial lines under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, shifting focus to partisan considerations. • Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, the Act originally aimed to dismantle barriers for Black voters, but the decision now permits states to redraw maps based on political affiliations. • The ruling has triggered a rapid effort in several states to reconfigure electoral districts, potentially reshaping congressional representation ahead of future elections.

• Republicans have secured an edge in national redistricting battles following U.S. Supreme Court ruling on April 29 striking down a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana and Virginia Supreme Court invalidating a voter-approved Democratic map. • The Louisiana decision prompted Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to postpone the May 16 congressional primary, allowing lawmakers to revise House districts and eliminate minority-protected seats under weakened Voting Rights Act provisions. • Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed revised U.S. House districts on May 4, boosting GOP chances to win four additional seats, while Republicans eye up to 14 net gains across Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee.

• A federal trade court overturned an administration ruling that had blocked grant restoration, overturning a previous district judge's injunction regarding federal aid programs. • The decision requires the administration to restore the flow of contested grants, marking a judicial victory for grant recipients and advocacy groups challenging the policy. • The ruling impacts federal funding distribution and suggests courts are actively reviewing Trump administration decisions affecting federal spending programs.

Appliance giant slashes earnings forecast and hikes prices by 10% with another 4% spike plannedWith the war in Iran and economic concerns putting pressure on consumers and how they spend their money, Whirlpool is having to adjust to Americans delaying big-ticket purchases while also raising prices to help stabilize its North American business.The company known for brands such as KitchenAid, Maytag and its namesake, said that the Iran war led to a “recession-level industry decline” in America as consumer confidence collapsed in late February and March. Revenue dropped nearly 10% in the quarter as sales of major appliances in North America declined more than 7%. Continue reading...

Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...

Chris Minns’ chief of staff launched legal action to avoid giving evidence. Since the court ruled in his favour, others are doing the sameFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWitnesses are refusing to appear before New South Wales parliamentary inquiries due to a recent court ruling, in a move labelled as having a “completely unacceptable” impact on public interest investigations.In December, the NSW court of appeal ruled that provisions of the Parliamentary Evidence Act allowing for arrest warrants were invalid on the basis that they impaired the court’s institutional integrity. Continue reading...

Ketanji Brown Jackson blasted the decision, saying the court has hastened it ruling only twice before in 25 yearsThe US supreme court went out of its way on Monday to help Louisiana Republicans redraw their congressional maps before this year’s midterm elections by allowing a recent ruling that gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act to take effect ahead of schedule.The procedural move comes less than a week after the court’s landmark decision striking down Louisiana’s congressional map and gutting section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Usually, the court waits 32 days to formally issue its judgment to the lower court. Last week, Louisiana asked the court to speed up that process, citing the urgency with which it needed to redraw its congressional maps. On Monday, the court agreed to do so. Continue reading...

• A federal appeals court has overturned a lower‑court injunction that had ordered the Trump administration to restore the flow of federal grants to several local governments, reopening billions of dollars in funding that had been withheld. • The decision follows a dispute over how the administration interprets the conditions attached to federal grants, with cities arguing that the withholding amounted to political retaliation. • The ruling could influence how future administrations may or may not condition aid on policy compliance, and it has implications for federalism and local autonomy.

• The Trump administration filed an appeal Wednesday evening against a Massachusetts federal judge's March 16 ruling that blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of the nation's childhood vaccine schedule. • Judge Brian Murphy had ruled that Kennedy replaced the CDC's vaccine advisory committee "unlawfully" and placed any decisions made by the committee on hold. • The appeal signals the administration's intention to proceed with restructuring the vaccine advisory process despite legal challenges to its authority.

• Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced plans on April 29, 2026, to suspend House primaries after a court ruling on congressional maps intensified redistricting fights. • The decision stems from ongoing battles over racial gerrymandering, with dozens more cases looming before midterms. • Suspension could delay elections and reshape GOP strategies in the state.

Decision gives mapmakers in Republican states power to crack districts into pieces and dilute votes into oblivionThe Voting Rights Act was a political peace compact written in John Lewis’s blood.The Callais v Landry decision by the US supreme court, which set aside much of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, whitewashed that blood from history, along with that of thousands of other Americans who fought segregationist white supremacists at lunch counters and bus stations and courthouses for political equality. Continue reading...

Kendrick Guidry, alone among judges, initially ruled that the state supreme court’s decision to uphold a ‘lookback window’ for abuse claims did not set a binding precedentOnly one judge in Louisiana has ruled in favor of the Catholic church’s ongoing attempts to strike down a law there which allowed old abuse claims their day in court – even after a state supreme court decision upheld the constitutionality of that so-called “lookback window”.But now, that judge – Kendrick J Guidry of Lake Charles – is being forced to acknowledge that his ruling benefited a specific church on whose finance committee he sits, giving him a direct financial interest that required his recusal under the state’s judicial code. Continue reading...

Sabrina Crawford among those refused because of rule change, which now also affects children of immigrants born in ItalyIn 2025, after a long and arduous journey in her attempts to gain Italian citizenship, including a pivotal genealogical research trip to a village in Calabria, US-born Sabrina Crawford was hoping to fulfil her lifelong dream of building a life in Italy as she edged towards the final hurdle of the bureaucratic process.But her plans were scuppered when Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government enacted a law stopping access to Italian citizenship via distant ancestry. Since May last year, only those with a parent or grandparent who was an Italian citizen at birth, and who did not take on dual nationality, are eligible to apply. Continue reading...

HMRC confirms it will fight London tax tribunal’s finding that it has been overcharging for years under the lawEV charging shake-up looks to help UK households solve off-street parking problemThe UK’s tax authorities have decided to fight against a ruling that would cut VAT across all public electric car chargers, despite a judge finding they have been overcharging for years under the law.Charge My Street, a not-for-profit charging company, last month argued successfully that VAT should have been charged at 5%, rather than 20%, in a case at a London tax tribunal that could have a significant impact on electric car drivers’ costs. HM Revenue and Customs on Tuesday confirmed it will appeal against the ruling. Continue reading...

Greens criticise premier’s ‘extraordinary attack’ on judiciary and urge him to accept he ‘got it wrong’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales premier has doubled down on an anti-protest law struck down in the state’s highest court last week, defending the legislation introduced by his government as “rational and proportionate”.But advocates for protesters charged at demonstrations restricted under the laws have criticised Chris Minns’ comments, calling them a “extraordinary attack” on the judiciary. Continue reading...

John Hancock welcomes findings on ownership of mines and companies although judge says dispute should be determined in private arbitrationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGina Rinehart’s son has said he wants to reunite his family after a landmark court case left a long-running feud over ownership of mines and companies unresolved.The Western Australian supreme court on Wednesday found Rinehart’s children were at one point set to inherit 49% of her company and said their ownership claims should be determined in separate proceedings. Continue reading...

Changes follow concern that original code created a legal minefield for organisations implementing itThe equalities watchdog has updated its guidance on how to implement the supreme court ruling on gender after the government requested changes to the original proposals submitted last year.In a statement, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that after “feedback” from the government, as well as consultation responses and extra legal advice, it had made changes to what is officially known as the code of practice. Continue reading...

Despite resistance from states who had role in chattel slavery, many feel this is an idea whose time has comeJohn Mahama knows a thing or two about beating the establishment. On Wednesday, less than two years after completing a remarkable comeback as Ghana’s president with a landslide defeat of the ruling party candidate, he rallied the world to ratify a landmark vote against transatlantic chattel slavery, despite major opposition from the same western entities that drove it for centuries.The resolution to declare the practice as “the gravest crime against humanity” passed with a decisive majority at the UN general assembly and has been largely welcomed across Africa. Yet the details of the tally reveal a world still deeply divided on the gravity of the sin of enslaving more than 15 million people as chattel over the course of 400 years. Continue reading...

Péter Magyar, who is leading in polls, says Orbán’s government is ‘betraying Hungarian and European interests’Europe live – latest updatesThe candidate leading the polls in Hungary’s upcoming elections has said the alleged sharing of confidential EU information between Budapest and Moscow should be investigated as possible “treason”, while the European Commission has called for “clarifications” over the alleged leaks.Péter Magyar, a conservative anti-corruption campaigner, who is mounting the most serious challenge to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year-long grip on the Hungarian premiership, said the government appeared to be colluding with Russia, “thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests”. Continue reading...

• U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled on March 7, 2026, that Kari Lake lacked authority to reduce Voice of America to a skeleton crew, ordering hundreds of employees back to work. • The government appealed the order on Thursday, as the White House nominated Sarah Rogers to lead the parent U.S. Agency for Global Media and appointed Newsmax executive Christopher Wallace as VOA deputy director. • Congress allocated $200 million in the February budget bill, a 25% cut but bipartisan support; experts question if objective journalism will persist under State Department influence.

• President Donald Trump launched a series of social media posts on Sunday night criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court as having 'RANSACKED' the country after it rejected his tariffs decision. • Trump acknowledged potential backlash, stating 'This statement about the United States Supreme Court will cause me nothing but problems in the future, but I feel it is my obligation to speak the TRUTH,' amid broader losses including failed prosecutions and coalition splits over Iran war. • The outbursts highlight Trump's frustration with judicial setbacks, such as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg tossing a grand jury subpoena against Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday.