Italian high court allows partial referendum on fertility law
Italy's Constitutional Court will allow a referendum to overturn parts of a controversial new Italian law on fertility treatments to proceed, but rejected a call for a referendum to completely overturn the law. Last year, Italian lawmakers...
The Kansas Senate voted Thursday in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and would prohibit the state from allowing civil unions or granting benefits normally associated with marriage to same-sex...
The Illinois General Assembly Tuesday passed a bill that would require state protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The House gave its approval on the last possible day by a vote of 65-51; the Senate had...
A ban on smoking in enclosed public places took effect in Italy Monday in the latest European legislative move against a recognized public health hazard. As previously reported in JURIST's Paper Chase, Ireland became the first country to implement...
The US Senate and House of Representatives Thursday rapidly approved a bill that would give a tax break to donors to tsunami relief efforts by allowing them to claim deductions in the 2004 tax year for donations made prior...
Douglas Berman, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University:"According to this AP story, President George Bush granted four pardons today, which gives him a total of just 31 pardons and commutations during his first term. As the AP story notes,...
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir (official profile on the Sudan's government website) asked the Sudanese National Assembly Tuesday to extend for a year the state of emergency currently in effect in Sudan. The present emergency declaration is set to terminate...
Rights groups say revised intel reform bill still limits privacy, personal freedom
Rights groups are warning that the sweeping intelligence reform package now awaiting signature by the President after Senate passage yesterday is better than earlier versions but still contains multiple provisions that threaten privacy and personal freedom. An ACLU spokesperson...
Anna Ryzhova, Kyiv, Ukraine:"Yesterday, Dec. 8th, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted a number of landmark lawmaking decisions. The purpose of these decisions was to apply measures that would prevent fraud in future elections, to remove some powers from the presidency,...
UK House of Lords defeats bill to redefine ancient office of Lord Chancellor
The UK House of Lords Tuesday defeated a government measure that would have redefined the centuries-old office of Lord Chancellor by no longer requiring the position to be held by someone who was both a lawyer and member of...
