Most Outrageous: Pregnant Sudanese Woman Faces Death for Staying Christian
Mariam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag’s refusal to give up Jesus as her Lord and savior could result in death, according to a ruling out of Sudan. According to information from this Aljazeera story, Ishag may be permitted to appeal the ruling, which has sparked an international outcry.
Ishag, a pregnant 27-year-old Christian, was convicted of apostasy for refusing to renounce her faith, which she said was inherited from her Christian mother. Among her other transgressions, according to Islamic law, is her decision to marry a Christian man. That will carry a 100-lashing sentence, according to the story.
Regarding the case, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abu-Bakr Al-Siddiq said: "Sudan is committed to all human rights and freedom of faith granted in Sudan by the constitution and law," the Reuters news agency reported on Friday.
Most Personal: Texas DPS Trooper Fined for Illegal Cavity Searches
Former Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Kelly Helleson pleaded guilty to the charge of official oppression regarding a roadside body cavity search off of State Highway 161.
Although the claim is contested by the district attorney’s office, Helleson said: “At no time did I ever stick my finger inside someone’s body.” A jail sentence was suspended and sexual assault charges were dropped during the course of litigation.
Instead, two years’ probation and a $2,000 fine will be the punishment. The victims, an aunt and her niece, are unsatisfied with sexual assault charges being dropped, and claim Helleson used the same latex gloves for both searches, “which were done in full view of passing motorists,” according to information from a crime blog hosted by The Dallas Morning News.
Most Animalistic: 14-Year Battle Over Asian Elephants Ends in Settlement
On might call the case a three-ring circus. It took almost a decade-and-a-half, but animal rights groups and the producers of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus have reached a nearly $16 million settlement regarding the circus’ treatment of its Asian elephants.
Although the animal right’s coalition did not admit wrongdoing, they are on the hook for legal fees dolled out by Feld Entertainment Inc., the producers of the circus, according to the May 15 ruling.
The entertainer’s lawyer, John Simpson of Norton Rose Fulbright, said the agreement "makes amends for serious abuses of the judicial system." The settlement also puts to bed a racketeering action that would have netted Feld more than $25 million. However, the agreement will instead allow for all parties involved to get their respective shows back on the road.
See the INADMISSIBLE story from the National Law Journal.
Most Progressive: Four States Strike Down Same-Sex Marriage Ban
May saw Pennsylvania, Oregon, Arkansas and Idaho added to the list of states that have now determined bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, according to an article from The Guardian.
Now gay couples can tie the knot in the entirety of the Northeast, and nearly half the states in the county. The legal win is the 14th straight victory for same-sex marriage advocates, and now 19 states permit gay couples to wed, the article states. And, while many speculate that the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional will ultimately eliminate all bans on same-sex marriage in the U.S., one lone state, North Dakota, does not have a legal challenge to their ban on the books to date. An Associated Press story has additional details.
Most Familial: 'Lost Boys' Actor Jason Patric Lands Landmark Ruling for Sperm Donors
California sperm donors are now allowed to seek to establish parental rights, thanks to a California Second District Court of Appeal ruling. At the heart of the case was the definition of a “natural parent” and several statutes pertaining to the term.
Fred Silberberg, the Beverly Hills lawyer representing the actor in his case against his ex-girlfriend, said the decision will have implications for unmarried couples that are both heterosexual as well as homosexual and become pregnant through in-vitro fertilization.
Gus, the 4-year-old child in the midst of the custody battle had apparently uttered the phrase “dada” and communicated in other ways with his biological father that led the Court to make the determination that Patric, indeed, has the right to fight for paternity rights to his son.
This National Law Journal article details the case. The California Legislature has entertained a bill to amend the law governing sperm donors’ rights.