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A judge has drawn criticism from his colleagues after filming a video of him loading several guns in his judicial chambers which he then attached to a dissenting judgment. The nearly 20-minute long video was posted to YouTube by the American judge as he dissented from a ruling upholding a California

The Faculty of Advocates has joined international condemnation of the Trump administration's attacks on lawyers in the US and internationally. A joint statement issued this week says US sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) personnel and their families "constitute a violation of internatio

The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a new literature review examining the sentencing of firearms offences in Scotland. The review commissioned by the council was conducted by expert academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, alongside researchers from the Sentencing Academy.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. World leaders express outrage at Israel’s renewed bombing of Gaza civilians

Protestors charged with non-violent offences should be able to explain their motives in court as part of their legal defence, new research argues. A new study from the University of Birmingham, Aston University and Keele University has argued that trials should "respect the integrity of publicly acc

Public bodies should collect distinct data on both sex and gender identity to ensure accuracy and clarity of nationally held data, according to a UK government-commissioned report led by a UCL academic. In February 2024, Professor Alice Sullivan (UCL Social Research Institute) was asked by the Depar

An innovative blood drive is offering free cannabis in exchange for donations. The latest in a series of "Bleed for Weed" events is taking place this weekend in Rockford, Illinois, where cannabis is legal for both medicinal and recreational use.

Ashurst has announced that Karen Davies has been re-elected as global chair of the firm for a second term, effective 1 August 2025. Paul Jenkins, global CEO commented: “On behalf of the partnership, I am delighted to congratulate Karen on her re-appointment as global chair. Over the past four

A former subpostmaster caught in the Horizon scandal is taking legal action against the Post Office and Fujitsu. Lee Castleton is the first person to sue both organisations following the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) has launched the first phase of an interactive map that shows the number of complaints closed in 2022–23 for each local authority area in Scotland across the sectors it oversees, mapped against measures of deprivation. The map highlights the percen

Significant change to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is needed if the Scottish government’s policy objectives for land reform are to be met, according to Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee. Although the majority of committee members support the general principles of t

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has called for further efforts to implement judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, following the publication of a new report. The annual report for 2024 on the execution of the court’s rulings from the Council of Europe&

The BBC has commissioned a new Scottish legal drama set and filmed in and around Glasgow.  Counsels comes from producers Balloon Scotland (Clique) and will be broadcast on BBC One.

A former chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has been disbarred for sexual misconduct towards an aspiring lawyer. Navjot “Jo” Sidhu KC was found guilty of professional misconduct over an incident in 2018, during which he invited a woman in her 20s – referred to in tribunal

Lynn Clark has joined McKee Campbell Morrison’s litigation and insolvency team as a paralegal.  MCM’s head of dispute resolution, Alan McKee, said: "We are delighted to welcome Lynn to the team. Lynn brings with her a wealth of relevant experience in our areas of practice and will b