[JURIST] AP is reporting that Democrat Christine Gregoire has won the Washington governor's race by 130 votes over Republican Dino Rossi, with all votes from King County counted per Wednesday's Washington state Supreme Court ruling.

7:45 PM ET - View the final recount results on the Washington Secretary of State's election website.

[JURIST] President Bush indicated Thursday he would re-nominate some 20 individuals for federal judgeships whose confirmations were directly or indirectly blocked by Democrats in the last Congress who considered them too right-wing on a range of legal and social issues. Read a full statement by White House press secretary Scott McClellan listing the Court of Appeals and District Court nominations concerned. The appeals re-nominees include Priscilla Owen, William Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown, and William Haynes IV. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] AP is reporting that former CT Gov. John G. Rowland has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of corruption. The Hartford Courant has more on the expected plea announcement (registration required).

Previously on JURIST's Paper Chase....

• Aide to former Connecticut governor John Rowland charged
• Grand jury reconvenes in former CT governor case; indictments expected
• Adviser to former CT governor can't be forced to testify, appeals court rules
• Resigning Connecticut governor faces federal corruption investigation

[JURIST] The editor of the report on freedom and governance in Arab countries has accused the US of blocking the report's publication due to objections over sections on Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nader Fergani, the editor of the Arab Human Development Report, said the US had threatened to pull its funding from the UN Development Program over the report, a charge the US and UNDP denied. Egypt has also reportedly objected to the report's publication due to its assessment of freedoms in that country. Fergani said the 2004 report may be published under the authors' own names. Read a UNDP statement on the controversy surrounding this year's report. Arab Human Development Reports from previous years are available here. BBC News has more.

[JURIST] Arguments in the San Francisco same-sex marriage case continue for a second day Thursday in front of San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer. The two sides sparred Wednesday, with gay rights advocates arguing that the state no longer had a legitimate reason for limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples, and a state attorney arguing that the state retained an interest in defining marriage as it has traditionally. The state also argued that it had made sufficient advances in ensuring equality for same-sex couples that its ban on same-sex marriage was not unconstitutional. Judge Kramer has said that he will rule on the consolidated cases sometime after mid-January. JURIST's Paper Chase has ongoing coverage of same-sex marriage legal issues. AP has more.

[JURIST] The British government has said that it will not oppose a citizens' group if it seeks an injunction of a hunting ban set to take effect in February. The Countryside Alliance has said it will challenge the ban in court, and if it loses, it will seek an injunction to delay the ban. Some called the government's decision politically motivated as a way to avoid the ban taking effect in England and Wales before possible May elections. Contryside Alliance plans to challenge the use of the 1949 Parliament Act to force the law through despite opposition in the House of Lords. A separate challenge is also being brought in the European Court of Human Rights. The UK Parliament has more on the Parliament Acts [PDF] and their previous use. BBC News has more on the hunting ban. Countryside Alliance has more on its campaign to save hunting. BBC News has more.

[JURIST] The US 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has refused a request to reconsider its ruling that the Puerto Rican Supreme Court has jurisdiction over the territory's disputed governor's election. The court refused Wednesday to rehear the case en banc or for the judges who originally decided the case to reconsider their ruling. Former Gov. Pedro Rossello petitioned for the rehearing in an attempt to disqualify thousands of ballots that appear to favor his opponent, Anibal Acevedo Vila. From San Juan, El Nuevo Dia has local coverage (in Spanish) of the election. AP has more.

Previously on JURIST's Paper Chase....

• First Circuit says Puerto Rico Supreme Court should rule on disputed ballots in gubernatorial race
• Puerto Rico election dispute draws protestors to 1st Circuit hearing

[JURIST] A Spanish parliamentary commission investigating the Madrid train bombings from last March has completed its hearings and will now draft a final report on its findings. The hearings, which were aimed at determining how Islamic radicals were able to bomb several train cars and kill 191 people, often involved divisive political debates between the Conservative government, which was displaced from power in elections three days after the bombings. Many Spanish citizens have expressed doubts as to whether the commission will fully determine the truth of the what happened and who was at fault. From Spain, El Mundo has local coverage (in Spanish). BBC News has more.