tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40798942010-03-11T16:26:04.368-05:00JURIST's legal news service, powered by a team of over 40 law student reporters and editors led by Professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-87537897736195459242010-03-11T16:12:00.002-05:002010-03-11T16:25:21.869-05:00

[JURIST] The Swedish Parliament [official website, in Swedish] on Thursday voted 131-130 to approve a resolution [text, in Swedish] that recognizes the Ottoman Empire's killing of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as genocide [JURIST news archive]. Of the 349 assembly members, 88 were absent [AP report]. The resolution was opposed by the ruling center-right coalition and supported by the opposition

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-33896419805071830452010-03-11T15:24:00.000-05:002010-03-11T16:26:04.376-05:00

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Thursday that a teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools does not violate the constitution. Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow [JURIST news archive] had challenged the practice on behalf of several families, arguing that the phrase "under God" violated the Establishment Clause

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-49459943917880968452010-03-11T14:30:00.004-05:002010-03-11T15:39:27.912-05:00

[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] voted [H Res 1031 materials] Thursday to impeach federal judge Thomas Porteous [official profile] of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website]. The case will now proceed to the US Senate [official website] where a two-thirds majority is required to convict Porteous of committing high crimes and

Patrice Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09258579106425581242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-41836816669512067142010-03-11T12:39:00.002-05:002010-03-11T15:18:42.253-05:00

[JURIST] The US State Department (DOS) [official website] on Thursday released its 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices [materials]. Announcing the release [video; statement text], Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the US has recommitted "to continue the hard work of making human rights a human reality." In its introduction [text] to the reports, which covered 194 countries,

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-73066347989087830392010-03-11T11:06:00.005-05:002010-03-11T14:11:38.199-05:00

[JURIST] A group of delegates from the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official websites] concluded a meeting [press release] in Moscow Wednesday over Russian claims of war crimes committed by Georgia during the South Ossetia conflict [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] in August 2008. The meeting, which was not attended by chief prosecutor Luis

Steve Czajkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01836175957582468682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-17016048645642547832010-03-11T10:06:00.007-05:002010-03-11T11:19:58.858-05:00

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] said [press release] Wednesday that recently announced election laws [JURIST report] in Myanmar [JURIST news archive] do not meet international standards for an inclusive political process, in particular because they do not allow pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] to participate. Ban's

Steve Czajkowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01836175957582468682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-10739636450829488532010-03-11T09:53:00.006-05:002010-03-11T11:08:48.449-05:00

[JURIST] The Cambodian parliament [official website] passed a controversial anti-corruption bill Wednesday meant to further transparency in government while opposition parties staged a walkout, saying the new law would stifle criticism and foster corruption. The law will create a national anti-corruption council to oversee investigators, but critics have said that the lack of independence from

Bhargav Katikanenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08061683798003153854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-56062670345950155992010-03-11T08:23:00.012-05:002010-03-11T10:21:49.176-05:00

[JURIST] The Virginia General Assembly [official website] on Wednesday passed a bill [text, PDF] that will ban any federal mandate for individuals to have health insurance. The bill, called the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act, is the first of its kind [WP report] passed by any state, and says that no individual shall be held liable if they refuse to sign up for health care. Governor Robert

Bhargav Katikanenihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08061683798003153854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-41852970689280625592010-03-10T15:30:00.009-05:002010-03-10T16:17:30.590-05:00

[JURIST] Nigerian police officials said Wednesday that 49 people, predominately Muslims, will be charged with murder following the recent killing of Christian villagers near the city of Jos. Reports have varied [BBC report] as to the number of people killed in the weekend attack, but police now put the number at 109. The attacks were apparently in retaliation [AP report] for the January violence

Hillary Stemplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826858157450882123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-450446822092494042010-03-10T14:24:00.005-05:002010-03-10T16:08:08.095-05:00

[JURIST] The Afghan government should retract a law granting amnesty [press release] for war crimes and human rights abuses committed prior to December 2001, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Wednesday. The National Stability and Reconciliation Law was originally passed by the Afghan Parliament [official website] in 2007, but did not take effect until it was recently published in

Hillary Stemplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826858157450882123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-40302768847201631552010-03-10T13:27:00.003-05:002010-03-10T15:44:27.272-05:00

[JURIST] The US Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] held a hearing [materials; video] Wednesday on the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [opinion, PDF], which eased restrictions [JURIST report] on political campaign spending by corporations. The hearing, entitled "We the People? Corporate Spending in American Elections after

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-52613494132720747742010-03-10T12:20:00.004-05:002010-03-10T14:41:36.889-05:00

[JURIST] The Italian Senate [official website, in Italian] on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill [materials, in Italian] that would allow cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], to postpone criminal proceedings against them on the grounds that they would interfere with official duties. The legislation, passed by a vote of 169-126 [

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-46023987640660781522010-03-10T11:24:00.010-05:002010-03-10T13:09:05.547-05:00

[JURIST] Myanmar's military junta announced the implementation of another election law on Wednesday that establishes procedures for the country's first election in 20 years. The Political Parties Registration Law prevents [IANS report] political prisoners from participating in the election and also makes it illegal for members of religious orders, insurgent groups, and foreigners to join

Jay Carmellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302975656949829244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-21506430412226784362010-03-10T10:18:00.000-05:002010-03-10T11:32:56.170-05:00

[JURIST] An Iranian court on Tuesday began the trial of 12 Iranian prison officials accused of torturing three prisoners to death, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) [official website, in Persian]. The three victims, identified as Mohsen Rouholamini, Mohammad Kamrani, and Amir Javadifar, were arrested for their involvement in the protests following the June 12

Jay Carmellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302975656949829244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-75117370055089999622010-03-10T09:09:00.005-05:002010-03-10T11:43:31.245-05:00

[JURIST] An international group of human rights lawyers on Tuesday petitioned [text, PDF; press release, PDF] the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] to condemn to the detention of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng [advocacy website; JURIST news archive], missing for more than a year. The group is seeking a declaration that Gao's detention is a violation of

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-1694538714881678612010-03-09T15:55:00.003-05:002010-03-09T16:30:57.409-05:00

[JURIST] India's upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha [official website], on Tuesday approved a bill to ensure that one-third of seats in parliament are reserved for women. The Women's Reservation Bill [2008 text, PDF], introduced [JURIST report] Monday, would increase the number of women serving in the 543-seat legislature, which currently has no gender quota, from 59 to at least 181. The

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-12369222606344507902010-03-09T14:39:00.006-05:002010-03-09T15:57:52.477-05:00

[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism Martin Scheinin [official website] on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to hold civilian trials for accused 9/11 conspirators, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed [JURIST news archives]. Scheinin called [Reuters report] the military commissions [JURIST news archive] system "fatally flawed" and said that reforming the system

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-17851810921116086202010-03-09T13:16:00.014-05:002010-03-09T15:24:20.521-05:00

[JURIST] China and India agreed Tuesday to endorse the non-binding Copenhagen Accord [text, PDF], which calls for self-imposed limits on greenhouse gas emissions [JURIST news archive]. Some 100 countries have already agreed [NYT report] to be associated with the non-binding accord, which arose from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) [official website; JURIST report] held in Copenhagen in

Megan McKeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13448577607680864340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-36591594503468862202010-03-09T11:49:00.011-05:002010-03-09T15:01:00.380-05:00

[JURIST] Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday unveiled [NLM report] the first of five laws that will set the stage for the country's first election in 20 years. The Union Election Commission Law, the first of the five laws enacted [Al Jazeera report] Monday to be published in state-run newspapers, states that the military government will appoint the five-member commission that will supervise and

Haley Wojdowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08323890931571403393Hwojdowski@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-66985459841368121072010-03-09T11:32:00.013-05:002010-03-09T14:39:04.868-05:00

[JURIST] The Thai Cabinet [official website, in Thai] on Tuesday approved the invocation of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to allow for increased security measures in anticipation of large anti-government protests. The law [BBC report] will provide more power to security forces and allow for the movement of protesters to be restricted through the imposition of curfews, checkpoints, and

Megan McKeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13448577607680864340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-88944439969825195002010-03-09T10:31:00.012-05:002010-03-09T13:47:22.934-05:00

[JURIST] Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) [official profile] signed a bill [press release] into law on Monday that would allow a woman to be charged with criminal homicide if she arranges for an illegal abortion. Bill HB 462 [text, PDF] defines abortion and states that "[t]he killing or attempted killing of a live unborn child in a manner that is not an abortion shall be punished as provided in

Haley Wojdowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08323890931571403393Hwojdowski@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-91859939419382046942010-03-09T10:18:00.003-05:002010-03-09T10:46:06.764-05:00

[JURIST] The Nigerian government must investigate the recent killings [press release] of more than 200 Christian villagers and prosecute those responsible, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Monday. Attacks [BBC report] blamed on Muslim herders took place near the city of Jos over the weekend, in apparent retaliation for violence between Muslims and Christians in January. HRW called

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-61085382654179626622010-03-09T09:10:00.003-05:002010-03-09T10:21:54.855-05:00

[JURIST] The Sri Lankan Parliament [official website] voted [press release] Tuesday to extend the country's current state of emergency until after next month's parliamentary elections. The measure, passed by a vote of 93-24 [Hindu report], was opposed by the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana, the country's main opposition party. President Mahinda Rajapaksa [official website] dissolved parliament [JURIST

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-26346404371436889222010-03-08T16:53:00.000-05:002010-03-08T17:16:25.059-05:00

[JURIST] Indian lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill to ensure that one-third of seats in parliament are reserved for women, marking International Women's Day [official website]. The Women's Reservations Bill [2008 text, PDF], introduced in the Rajya Sabha [official website], or Council of States, would increase the number of women [Times report] serving in the 543-seat legislature, which

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-73350590852339173812010-03-08T16:04:00.004-05:002010-03-08T16:18:43.507-05:00

[JURIST] A Haitian judge on Monday ordered the release of one of the last two US missionaries out of a group of 10 who were arrested on kidnapping charges [JURIST report] following the January 12 earthquake [JURIST news archive]. The judge announced last month that both missionaries would be released, following the release [JURIST reports] of the other eight members of the missionary group

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.com