The US Department of Justice on Tuesday announced support for a proposal that could reduce the sentences of nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons. Attorney General Eric Holder requested that the proposed law be applied retroactively to felons who lacked significant criminal histories and whose offenses did not include aggravating factors. However, this reduction would [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Texas released a report Tuesday exposing the results of a multi-year investigation into conditions at five Criminal Alien Requirement (CAR) prisons in Texas. There are 13 CAR prisons in the US—privately run prisons that house only non-citizens, most of whom have only been convicted of [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay delivered her final address to the UN Human Rights Council as High Commissioner for Human Rights Tuesday. Pillay, a South African national, took up the post of High Commissioner in 2008, two years after the formation of the UN Humans Right Council. In her remarks the commissioner [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday rejected Wells Fargo & Co’s contention that the bank’s participation, along with other national banks, in a $25 billion settlement with the US government over foreclosure abuses should bar claims bring in a separate civil case. In an unsigned opinion, a unanimous [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Tuesday that challenges Alabama’s same-sex marriage ban. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of April Aaron-Brush and Ginger Aaron Brush, a same-sex couple who were legally married in Massachusetts in June 2012. The lawsuit specifically challenges Section 36.03 of the Alabama Constitution and Ala. Code § [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday confirmed charges against Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda . The charges consist of 18 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, sexual slavery and using child soldiers, as well as crimes against humanity charges. The ICC held a confirmation of charges hearing in February, reviewing approximately 69,000 [...]

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill on Monday allowing undocumented students living in Florida to receive in-state college tuition rates. HB 851 will go into effect on July 1. Florida’s House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 84-32 in May. Upon signing, Scott issued a statement: Making sure all Floridians have [...]

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday declared a general amnesty for the country’s prisoners, appearing to apply the decree to at least some anti-government activists and protesters, according to the official SANA news agency . The declaration closely follows the president’s reelection last week to another seven-year term. While SANA did not state whether the [...]

Libya’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Monday refused to accept the appointment of Ahmed Maetig as the country’s new prime minister, declaring the nomination unconstitutional. The rejection of the Islamist-led parliament’s appointment was not accompanied by any further details or instructions , and the parliament has said it will comply with the court’s decision, leaving interim [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Andrew Spiropoulos of the Oklahoma City University School of Law discusses the tactical strategies of all parties involved in the Oklahoma Courts’ death penalty decisions … On April 28, Oklahoma’s execution by lethal injection of convicted murderer Clayton Lockett went awry. According to witnesses, 13 minutes after being injected with the drug [...]