North America | United States | Courts

Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed To Supreme Court, Takes Constitutional Oath

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The Senate has voted 52-48 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, just about a week before Election Day and 30 days after she was nominated by President Trump to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a White House ceremony following the vote Monday evening, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath to Coney Barrett. President Trump spoke at the event, thanking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and calling today a "momentous day" for America, the constitution and the rule of law. He also praised Barrett's intellec
North America | United States | Activism

It’s All About Health for Women and Girls: Ghada Khan on Ending FGM

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An estimated 3.9 million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) every year. About 513,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of or have undergone this procedure. Ending FGM/C is an issue that many funders can engage in; those who are interested in gender equality, who want to end gender-based violence and child abuse, who want to defend women’s bodily autonomy, and who want to make sure all girls are safe, educated and empowered. Dr. Ghada Khan is a health program analyst and the network coordinator for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, a colla
Europe | U.K. | Courts

U.K. Court of Appeal Overturns Ruling Ordering Mentally Disabled Woman to Have Abortion

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A British appeals court on Monday overturned a lower court’s order that a mentally disabled woman undergo an abortion. The earlier ruling had prompted an outcry from the Roman Catholic Church and abortion opponents. The three judges on the Court of Appeal didn’t explain why they ruled against proceeding with the abortion and said they would give their reasons at a later date. The lower court ruled Friday that the woman, who is in her 20s and 22 weeks pregnant, didn’t understand the challenges of caring for a child and wouldn’t be able to meet them. That court, known as the Cour
Middle East | Palestine | Activism

#BALANCEFORBETTER: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

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The Arab Women’s Organization of Jordan (AWO) held a conference on March 6 to shed light on issues relating to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Manal Al-Taleb, Program Coordinator for the Women’s Political Participation Program at the AWO, told The Media Line that the event focused on issues relating to labor law in the context of women’s rights, as well as social protection for women, girls and Syrian refugees in Jordan. It was held under the patronage of the minister of social development, and many members of parliament were scheduled to attend, as was the UN
North America | United States | Law

Justice Ginsburg Appears Strong In First Appearance At Supreme Court This Year

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the oldest, tiniest and possibly most well-known justice— returned to her perch on the bench Tuesday, asking questions in a firm and strong voice. The 85-year-old liberal feminist icon underwent surgery for lung cancer in late December and since then has been recovering at home. In January, for the first time in her 25-year tenure, she missed being in court for oral arguments, but she participated in the decision of those 11 cases based on the written briefs and transcripts of the arguments. At her return for Tuesday's arguments, Ginsburg w
South Asia | Pakistan | Crimes

Woman Stabbed 23 Times in Pakistan Wins Appeal Against Assailant’s Acquittal

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The Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the acquittal of a man accused of stabbing a woman 23 times, nearly three years after the attack prompted a national debate on violence against women. Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, leading a three-member panel, reinstated the conviction of Shah Hussain, accepting an appeal from Khadija Siddiqi, who survived the attack in Lahore in May 2016. Ms. Siddiqi said that Mr. Hussain, a former classmate, had attacked her after she rebuffed his romantic overtures. Mr. Hussain was rearrested in the courtroom on Wednesday. Ms. Siddiqi, a 24-ye
North America | United States | Education

Women Make Up Majority of U.S. Law Students for First Time

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For the first time, women make up a majority of law students, holding just over 50 percent of the seats at accredited law schools in the United States. The number of men and women enrolled in juris doctorate programs has been nearly equal for a number of years, but this is the first time women have moved past the 50 percent mark, according to data released Thursday by the American Bar Association. Currently, 55,766 women nationwide are studying for a juris doctor degree, compared with 55,059 men, according to the bar association. First-year students are more than 51 percent women, or 19,
North America | United States | Law

First Native American woman appointed judge in U.S. District Court

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The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed the appointment of the first Native American woman as judge of a U.S. District Court. Diane Humetewa, a Hopi, was one of a confirmation of six judges to the federal court bench in Arizona on Monday. Humetewa previously served as U.S. attorney between 2007 and 2009 and was an appellate court judge for the Hopi Tribe and a special counsel and professor at Arizona State University. She is the third Native American to be named to the federal bench. "Her appointment is certainly historic," University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias told
South Asia | India | Culture

Uttar Pradesh’s first woman qazi demands immediate ban on practice of triple talaq

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Supporting the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan’s move to demand a ban on triple talaq and dubbing it as ‘misinterpretation of ‘ayats’ (verses), Uttar Pradesh’s first woman qazi Hina Zaheer Naqvi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to intervene into the matter and demanded an immediate ban on the practice. Naqvi said oral talaq has been widely misused, adding this puts a Muslim women’s life at risk as it is promoting more and more divorces. “I strongly oppose triple talaq. Even Quran, the central religious text of Islam, does not give any instructi
Middle East | Saudi Arabia | Law

Saudi women to get copy of marriage contracts

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Saudi women tying the knot will now get a copy of their marriage contracts, a privilege that has been exclusive to men in the ultra-conservative kingdom, justice ministry said Monday. According to a directorate issued by Justice Minister Walid al-Samaani, clerics who register marriage contracts in the Muslim kingdom will now have to hand a copy to the bride "to ensure her awareness of her rights and the terms of the contract". The decision aims to "protect the rights of the woman and facilitate procedures for her," the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency. It
North America | United States | Law

Senate Confirms First-Ever Native American Woman As Federal Judge

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The Senate quietly made history on Wednesday night when it confirmed Diane Humetewa as a federal judge — the first Native American woman to ever hold such a post. Humetewa was confirmed 96-0 to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. She is a former U.S. attorney in Arizona and a member of the Hopi tribe. She is now the only Native American serving on the federal bench and just the third Native American in history to do so.
North America | United States | Law

The Women Take Over

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When the Supreme Court last heard oral arguments in a landmark abortion case, it was April 1992, the case was Planned Parenthood v Casey, and Sandra Day O’Connor was the lone female justice. Twenty-four years later, there are three women on the court. And if you countJustice Stephen Breyer as one of history’s great feminists—and I do—then you can view the arguments in this term’s landmark abortion case, Whole Woman’s Health v Hellerstedt, as creating a neat 4–4 split. On one side, you have a group of testy male justices needling a female lawyer for Texas clinics about whether
Africa | South Africa | Crimes

The all-female patrol stopping South Africa’s rhino poachers

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As rhino deaths have soared across South Africa, in Balule reserve the Black Mambas patrol of local women has achieved a 76% reduction in poaching since 2013. Now there are plans to extend the award-winning scheme. “The Black Mambas are winning the war on poaching,” insists Siphiwe Sithole. “We have absolutely zero tolerance for rhino poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The poachers will fall – but it will not be with guns and bullets.” Sithole and Felicia Mogakane are members of South Africa’s Black Mambas, the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit that has capt
Europe | Portugal | Crimes

Portugal makes harassing women in the street a crime

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Anumber of countries have taken steps to make street harassment illegal. Portugal’s Social Democratic party has made verbal sexual abuse a crime, with offences incurring a fine of up to €120 (£95) or a year in prison. In Peru, a recently passed bill defines harassment as any act impacting the freedom and dignity of movement or another person’s right to physical and moral integrity, with such offences in public spaces carrying a maximum sentence of 12 years. And in Belgium, a law passed in 2014 introduced considerable fines and imprisonment of up to one year for street harassment crimes.