Latest news with #legalchallenge
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Hong Kong court backs transgender person's right to use toilets that match chosen gender identity
HONG KONG, July 23 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court ruled on Wednesday in favour of a transgender person who challenged laws that criminalise them for going into public toilets that align with their chosen gender identity. Judge Russell Coleman struck down the two provisions that made it criminal to do so but suspended the ruling for 12 months to let the government "consider whether it wishes to implement a way to deal with the contravention". The Environment and Ecology Bureau said in an email response to Reuters that the government will carefully study the judgment and consult the Department of Justice on the appropriate follow-up action. "This is a matter of the line-drawing, which seems to me to be a question for the government or legislature to address," Coleman wrote in his judgment. He also said the question of where to draw the line between a "female person" and a "male person" is "an answer not appropriately given by the courts, and is more appropriately a matter for legislation". The legal challenge was launched by a transgender man, who identifies as K, born as a female and identifies as a man, and who sought to amend the Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulations to allow individuals undergoing Real Life Experience (RLE) treatment under medical supervision to use public toilets that align with their gender identity. This is the latest ruling from the city's judiciary in recent years that recognises the rights of transgender people. The city's Court of Final Appeal in February 2023 unanimously sided with appeals launched by transgender activists that barred transgender people from changing their gender on their mandatory ID cards unless they undergo full sex reassignment surgery, saying it violated their rights. The Hong Kong government last April revised the policy and allowed transgender people who have not completed full sex reassignment surgery to change gender on their ID cards.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hong Kong court backs transgender person's right to use toilets that match chosen gender identity
By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) -A Hong Kong court ruled on Wednesday in favour of a transgender person who challenged laws that criminalise them for going into public toilets that align with their chosen gender identity. Judge Russell Coleman struck down the two provisions that made it criminal to do so but suspended the ruling for 12 months to let the government "consider whether it wishes to implement a way to deal with the contravention". The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond. "This is a matter of the line-drawing, which seems to me to be a question for the government or legislature to address," Coleman wrote in his judgment. He also said the question of where to draw the line between a "female person" and a "male person" is "an answer not appropriately given by the courts, and is more appropriately a matter for legislation". The legal challenge was launched by a transgender man, who identifies as K, born as a female and identifies as a man, and who sought to amend the Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulations to allow individuals undergoing Real Life Experience (RLE) treatment under medical supervision to use public toilets that align with their gender identity. This is the latest ruling from the city's judiciary in recent years that recognises the rights of transgender people. The city's Court of Final Appeal in February 2023 unanimously sided with appeals launched by transgender activists that barred transgender people from changing their gender on their mandatory ID cards unless they undergo full sex reassignment surgery, saying it violated their rights. The Hong Kong government last April revised the policy and allowed transgender people who have not completed full sex reassignment surgery to change gender on their ID cards.
The National
14 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Wife of ICEBlock developer considers legal options after firing from Justice Department
A woman who was fired as an auditor for the US government because of an immigration police-tracking app her husband created says she is weighing her legal options. The Department of Justice says Carolyn Feinstein has a 'sizeable interest' in the company which developed the ICEBlock app, ALL U Chart. Trump administration officials have taken issue with the app, which has more than one million downloads and allows users to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location,' a Justice Department representative told The National. 'This DoJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' Ms Feinstein, who worked from the DoJ's Austin, Texas office as a forensic auditor, was fired from her job at the weekend. She told The National that while she owns a portion of All U Chart, her husband, Joshua Aaron, is the majority owner. She said she is listed as a stakeholder so she could wind down the company in the event something were to happen to her husband. 'I had no part in developing the app, coding the app, or marketing the app in any way,' she said. 'My only relation to it is that I'm married to the creator.' She said she is exploring potential legal options to challenge her dismissal, and looking for new career opportunities. 'There's going to be bigger and better things out there,' she said. Mr Aaron said his company, All U Chart, is currently working on a healthcare app unrelated to the ICEBlock app that has become the source of ire in the Trump administration. Since its release this year, the app has gained popularity as President Donald Trump approved significant funding increases for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Masked ICE agents have swept up thousands of migrants in a nationwide dragnet that has sometimes snared US citizens and green card holders. Current and former detainees have said they were kept in dismal conditions in ICE custody, charges the agency denies. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said Mr Aaron, who lives in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National in an interview last week that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials within an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data and relies on people reporting where ICE agents are. ICEBlock also allows users to describe the vehicles ICE agents are using and the clothes they are wearing. When a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to nearby users. It is only available for iPhone. According to Mr Aaron, the privacy settings he deems necessary for ICEBlock are not yet possible on Android devices. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that the app should be considered illegal, and recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into' the developer, Mr Aaron. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software has the potential to be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Mr Aaron says ICEBlock is strictly designed to inform, and not to obstruct. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist well known for her controversial and xenophobic comments, posted information about his wife on X last week. 'I reviewed Carolyn's LinkedIn page, and she has been working for the DOJ since January 2021 when Joe Biden assumed office,' said Ms Loomer's post.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump administration files appeal to revive executive order against law firm Jenner
July 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Monday appealed a ruling that struck down an executive order targeting law firm Jenner & Block over its past employment of a prosecutor involved in a special counsel investigation of Trump's 2016 campaign. The U.S. Justice Department's notice, opens new tab in the federal court in Washington, D.C. did not detail its legal arguments in the appeal. The case will now move to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The appeal was the second by the Justice Department in four lawsuits from firms that challenged the White House's executive orders against them. The administration in June appealed a judge's order that permanently blocked an executive order against law firm Perkins Coie. The administration has not yet appealed court rulings that blocked executive orders against law firms WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jenner in a statement on Monday said "the district court correctly declared that Jenner's clients have a right to independent counsel and that the firm's right to represent clients vigorously and without compromise is sacred." Trump in March and April issued a series of executive orders against prominent firms that represented his political adversaries or employed lawyers who investigated him in the past. The orders sought to suspend security clearances for lawyers at the firms and restricted their access to government buildings, officials and federal contracting work. Four judges appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents struck down the orders, finding they violated free-speech protections and rights in the U.S. Constitution. Trump's order targeting Jenner cited the firm's past employment of Andrew Weissmann, a prosecutor involved in former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that detailed Russian contacts with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. In May, U.S. District Judge John Bates struck down the order and said it "casts a chill over the whole of the legal profession." The White House has defended the executive orders, which accused firms of "weaponizing" the legal system, as lawful under the president's broad executive powers. Nine law firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Milbank and Latham, settled with the White House to avoid being targeted by the administration. Those firms as part of their deals pledged nearly $1 billion in free legal services to causes the White House supports and made other concessions. The firms have been criticized by some lawyers, firms and others over the accords, but have defended them as necessary and consistent with their principles. Read more: What Republican, Democratic judges said about Trump's law firm orders Trump administration appeals blocking of executive order against law firm Perkins Coie Trump executive order seeks law firms to defend police officers for free Why target these law firms? For Trump, it's personal
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Wimbledon's expansion plans boosted when judge dismisses legal challenge
LONDON — Wimbledon's expansion plans , which would almost triple the size of the tennis tournament grounds, received a boost Monday when a judge dismissed a campaign group's legal challenge. The Save Wimbledon Park group took legal action against the Greater London Authority's decision to grant planning permission last year.
