WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, March 28, 2024

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1/ The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures” to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza as famine sets in, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel, and medical supplies into the enclave. The court’s order comes in response to a case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of state-sanctioned genocide in Gaza. The legally binding order instructs Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance “at scale.” In a separate order, the judges called for Israel to ensure that its military “does not commit acts which constitute a violation” of Palestinians’ rights under the Genocide Convention. International aid organizations have said Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian supplies into Gaza have led to a man-made famine. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press)

• Visualizing Gaza’s aid shortage as “man-made” famine looms. “Up to half of Gaza’s population faces starvation between now and July, according to recent estimates by global emergency experts.” (Washington Post)

2/ South Carolina will use a congressional map that a federal court ruled was “unconstitutional” because the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on the redistricting case it heard in October. With no decision and the state facing a June 11 primary, the same court that had deemed the map unconstitutional agreed to allow South Carolina to use the racially gerrymandered map for this year’s congressional election. The three-judge panel noted that “with the primary election procedures rapidly approaching, the appeal before the Supreme Court still pending, and no remedial plan in place, the ideal must bend to the practical.” Last year, the judges held that the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature had “exiled” more than 30,000 Black residents from the 1st Congressional District in what the court called a “bleaching” to benefit Republicans. That amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, they concluded. If the Supreme Court later upholds the lower court ruling, then new maps would have to be drawn for the 2026 election. (CNN / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

3/ A California judge ruled that one of Trump’s former lawyers should be disbarred for his role in developing the legal strategy to overturn the 2020 election. John Eastman championed the fringe legal theory that Trump could pressure Pence to block or delay the Electoral College certification to overturn Biden’s victory. Nevertheless, Judge Yvette Roland ruled that Eastman violated ethics rules — and even potentially criminal law — by promoting Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. “In view of the circumstances surrounding Eastman’s misconduct and balancing the aggravation and mitigation, the court recommends that Eastman be disbarred,” Roland wrote. Eastman is also facin...

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