Uphold

A New York court has reaffirmed that farmworkers in the state have the right to organize and join unions, rejecting a legal challenge from growers who sought to overturn those protections. The ruling upholds the 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, which extended collective bargaining rights to agricultural workers for the first time. Labor groups welcomed the decision, while farm industry representatives had argued the law burdened agricultural employers.

The European Policy Centre has released an assessment titled 'The Rule of Law beyond the EU Member States: Assessing the Union's Performance 2026'. The report examines how the European Union upholds rule of law standards outside its member states, extending the debate beyond the annual rule of law reviews focused on countries within the bloc. It contributes to ongoing discussion about the Union's credibility as a global advocate for legal norms.

The EU General Court has upheld the European Commission's decision to block Booking's acquisition of Dutch rival Etraveli, endorsing the bloc's approach to reviewing digital mergers. The ruling confirms the Commission's new template for assessing deals involving digital platforms and dominant market positions. Legal observers see it as a precedent that will shape future tech merger reviews across the EU.

Iranian opposition figure Heshmatollah Tabarzadi has called on democratic governments to uphold human rights in practice rather than in words alone. His appeal, published via Iran Human Rights, comes amid continued concern over repression and political prisoners in Iran, and renews pressure on Western governments to make human rights a concrete part of their policy toward Tehran.

A New Hampshire court has upheld the death penalty sentence for the state's only death row inmate. The ruling keeps in place the sole capital sentence in a state that abolished the death penalty in 2019, leaving open the question of whether the sentence will ultimately be carried out or commuted. The decision is drawing attention because it concerns an exception in a state that has otherwise moved away from capital punishment.