Judge Highberger literally changed the educational lives of tens of thousands of LA kids, promising them they won't have to carry the budgetary pain of the school district and instead can expect a chance to learn when they go to school. As bleak as the State's financial crisis is, the good news today is that Judge Highberger restored the promise that all kids should be equal at school.

Challenges to teacher tenure rules have increased as States face budget problems. On Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie [official website] expressed his desire to end teacher tenure based on seniority [ABC report] as a part of his school reform plans. Instead, Christie proposes to base tenure on classroom performance. Critics, including the state teachers union, however, think Christie is moving too quickly with such reforms, and should instead be a gradual process.

The new regulations are a part of a larger federal crackdown on for-profit schools that are accused of graduating poorly educated students with high student-loan debt. A report [text, PDF] released by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) [official website] accused for-profit colleges of promoting fraudulent practices so their students could acquire federal aid, exaggerating potential salary after graduation and failing to provide clear information about costs and duration of programs. Additionally, a 2009 GAO report found that for-profit college students were more likely to default on federal student loans than were students from other colleges.

In March, a Guatemalan court ruled that Portillo can be extradited to the US [JURIST report] to face charges of money laundering. He is accused of taking $15.8 million from funds designated for the Guatemalan Ministry of Defense and siphoning it into bank accounts in Europe and Bermuda. Portillo was arrested [BBC report] in January following an arrest warrant issued by Guatemala [JURIST report] based on the US indictment. In 2008, Portillo was extradited [JURIST report] back to Guatemala from Mexico, where he had fled after his immunity expired along with his term in office. The extradition order was first signed [JURIST report] in 2006, but Portillo challenged it until the Mexican Supreme Court ruled against him in January 2008. Lawyers for the Portillo and his minsters maintain their innocence, arguing that they were acting within the country's constitutional limits.

Investigating Jean-Claude Duvalier for the human rights crimes committed during his time in power is a massive step forward. What we need to see now is a swift and impartial process, in line with international standards, that truly brings justice for those who have been waiting for too long...Torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions are crimes under international law...Justice must be done if Haiti is to move forward.

Duvalier, also known as "Baby Doc," is the son of former Haitian leader Francois Duvalier, or "Papa Doc," whom he succeeded as leader [BBC report] in 1971. Following a tumultuous reign, which included accusations of thousands of murders by his regime [HRW report], Duvalier fled Haiti in 1986, and has since resided in France. In 2007, current Haitian leader Rene Preval expressed a renewed commitment to bring Duvalier to justice [JURIST report], despite Duvalier's pleas for forgiveness [Guardian report].