Environmental brief ~ South Africa greenlights first windfarm
In Wednesday's environmental law news, the South African government has approved a plan to construct the first windfarm in the country. The Director-General for Environmental Affairs and Tourism has approved the windfarm for the Darling district of...
The US Supreme Court issued opinions in two cases Tuesday. In the first, Smith v. Massachusetts, the Court ruled that a trial judge's reversal of a mid-trial ruling to dismiss a firearm charge constituted double jeopardy. Justice...
Environmental brief ~ China to resume halted construction projects
In Monday's environmental law news, China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has approved the resumption of 26 of the 30 large construction projects that were halted last month for failing to complete environmental impact statements before beginning....
The UN General Assembly's legal committee has adopted a non-binding resolution against all forms of human cloning, including techniques used in stem cell research. After several days of debate , the committee voted 71-35, with 43...
UN divided on cloning declaration, may adopt therapeutic ban
The UN General Assembly's legal committee failed to reach a consensus Thursday on a nonbinding declaration that would have urged urge governments to adopt their own laws on human cloning. As a result, the committee is likely...
UK lawmakers Wednesday backed a government bill to put the new EU constitution to a national referendum. The European Union Bill will now go to a House of Commons committee for further study. While signed last November,...
Environmental brief ~ California to enforce vehicle idling ban
In Monday's environmental law news, California state officials have decided to begin to enforce the state's vehicle idling ban . The measure bans trucks from idling for over 5 minutes and busses for over 10, with some exceptions. Tickets...
Hundreds of thousands of French workers took to the streets Saturday to protest pending legislation that would allow for extensions of France's 35-hour workweek. The legislation, first announced in December and scheduled for first reading in the...
Jack Balkin, Yale Law School:"In Hernandez v. Robles a New York State trial court judge held that the New York State constitution prohibited restricting marriage to opposite sex couples.The court held that prohibition on same sex couples violated the Due...
German high court judge revives controversy over neo-Nazi party
The president of Germany's Constitutional Court said Sunday that despite the failure of past government efforts, the extreme right-wing National Democratic Party (NPD) could still be banned under German law, renewing interest in outlawing the...
