Local
Guns banned in ATL’s Botanical Garden
On Thursday, Sept. 1, Fulton County Judge Gail Tusan ruled that the Atlanta Botanical Garden may ban firearms. In Georgia, the law allows guns on any government land or buildings, with very few exceptions. However, the judge ruled that even though the garden is under public ownership, it is a private entity and has the right to prohibit visitors from bringing firearms. According to ABC News, a visitor had once been escorted out of the garden in 2014, for having a gun around his waist.
National
Stanford rapist is released after three months
After serving three months out of the six he was supposed to, Brock Turner will be released from jail on Friday, Sept. 2.The Stanford swimmer who was accused of raping an unconscious woman was set to be released due to good behavior. Turner’s case served as a precedent for California lawmakers to make jail time mandatory for anyone convicted in sexual assault cases. According to The Washington Post, Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky made the decision for Turner’s six month sentence, and also wanted the former swimmer to register as a sex-offender, which brought about negative reactions from all over the country.
Global
Second mass attack in Pakistan targeting lawyers
On Friday, Sept. 2, a suicide bomber attacked the district court in Mardan, Pakistan killing over 11 people, including lawyers and police officers, and injuring over 20. According to the New York Times, the attacker first threw a hand grenade, opened fire at the court’s main gate, before he was stopped by police and activating his explosive vest. This was the second attack within the past weeks targeting lawyers, bringing the lawyer death toll at 70. The first one was in a hospital where lawyers had gathered to visit the president of Baluchistan’s bar association who was shot.
