September 2011 - JURIST

Brazil judge blocks Amazon jungle dam construction

September 30, 2011 03:58:55 pm

A Brazilian judge for the Federal Court of the First Region ruled on Thursday that work on a dam being constructed on the Xingu River in the Amazon jungle must cease. The...

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Federal judge refuses to block Kansas abortion insurance law

Michael Haggerson

September 30, 2011 02:53:02 pm

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Kansas denied an injunction on Thursday against a Kansas law that prohibits insurance companies from including coverage for abortion [JURIST news...

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Rwanda genocide tribunal acquits former ministers

Sarah Posner

September 30, 2011 11:53:21 am

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Friday acquitted two former Rwandan ministers, Casimir Bizimungu and Jerome Bicamumpaka, of genocide charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence. This decision is the most high-profile...

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Ninth Circuit vacates ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ ruling

Maureen Cosgrove

September 30, 2011 11:23:46 am

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday unanimously vacated a district court ruling that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT) was a violation of...

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US forces kill senior al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki

Sarah Posner

September 30, 2011 10:54:02 am

A CIA drone strike in Yemen on Friday killed senior al Qaeda leader, US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki . The strike marks the US government's most successful attack against al Qaeda since the raid...

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Rwanda genocide tribunal upholds convictions of ex-military officer, businessman

Hillary Stemple

September 30, 2011 10:39:04 am

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Wednesdayaffirmed the convictions of ex-army officer Ephrem Setako and former businessman Yussuf Munyakazi on charges stemming from the 1994 Rwandan genocide...

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Rights groups file suit challenging North Carolina ultrasound law

Maureen Cosgrove

September 30, 2011 10:11:52 am

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , along with several other rights groups and physicians, filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging a North Carolina law that requires abortion providers to show women ultrasounds...

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Bahrain military court sentences protesters, medical workers

Hillary Stemple

September 30, 2011 09:48:42 am

A special security court in Bahrain on Thursday sentenced one anti-government protester to death for killing a police officer, and gave lengthy prison sentences to medical personnel, including doctors, for providing treatment to injured protesters during...

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Rights groups file Canadian indictment against Bush for torture

Julia Zebley

September 30, 2011 09:26:52 am

Two rights organizations filed an indictment against former US president George W Bush with the Canada Department of Justice on Thursday accusing him of commissioning a torture program during his...

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Amnesty urges Lithuania to reopen investigation into secret CIA prisons

John Paul Putney

September 30, 2011 08:28:52 am

Lithuania must reopen the investigation into secret CIA prisons in light of new evidence, Amnesty International (AI) insisted Thursday. AI cited evidence of rendition flights of Abu Zubaydah [NYT profile; JURIST news...

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THIS DAY @ LAW

US Justice Department founded

On July 1, 1870, the US Congress's "Act to Establish the Department of Justice" took effect, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) was officially founded. The Act took the existing office of the Attorney General and made it the head of the new executive department. Congress created the department due to the ongoing legal difficulties surrounding Reconstruction following the US Civil War, the process where the states in rebellion were formally readmitted to the Union and emancipated slaves gained citizenship for the first time. Learn more from the Department Of Justice.

President Lincoln signed first US federal income tax act

On July 1, 1862, the Tax Act of 1862 was passed and signed by President Lincoln, establishing a 3% federal tax on income above $600 and a 5% tax on income above $10,000. Compliance with the act was poor, even though there were needs for the Civil War. After the war, the act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Review a brief history of the US income tax from the Library of Congress.

UK returns Hong Kong to China

On July 1, 1997, the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to China at the conclusion of a 99-year lease. The foundation for the transfer of power was set in December of 1984 when China and the UK signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. The Declaration affirmed the handover of Hong Kong along with governing principles. Most significantly, the Chinese agreed not to impose their socialist system on Hong Kong.