The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases on Tuesday. In United States v. Alvarez , the court heard arguments on the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act (SVA) . Xavier Alvarez was convicted under the SVA in 2007 after he announced at a public water district board meeting that he was a [...]

The UN-appointed Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Wednesday accused Syria of violating international human rights law after finding that Syrian forces are engaging in torture and killings under orders from high level government officials. Military forces under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been shelling opposition strongholds in the city of Homs for [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Tuesday in Messerschmidt v. Millender that police officers continue to have qualified immunity if a search warrant is later found invalid. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, noted that the bar set in United States v. Leon is a high standard, where officers cannot be reasonably expected [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Brian Landsberg of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law says that the Ninth Circuit will likely uphold its 1997 ruling that Proposition 209, California’s ban on affirmative action, is constitutional…

An Egyptian judge on Wednesday scheduled the verdict date for former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak for June 2, with Mubarak declining to address the court before the sentencing and verdict are set to take place. Mubarak could be put to death if convicted in what could be the first guilty verdict by the leader’s own [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in PPL Montana v. Montana that the Montana Supreme Court erred in failing to use a well-settled approach to determine whether the water beds at issue could be considered navigable. PPL Montana (PPL) , which owns a hydroelectric power dam on the Missouri River, brought the challenge after [...]

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and his administration on Tuesday to postpone the sentencing of El Universo managers convicted of libel until after a hearing between the parties in March. The IACHR issued an injunction urging the Ecuador government to suspend sentencing until arguments are made by both [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Thursday in Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California that the parties to the suit could return to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to argue in the first instance whether Medicaid recipients and providers could maintain Supremacy Clause actions challenging a California state [...]

The European Commission said Wednesday that they will seek guidance from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) before moving forward with the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) , a controversial international anti-piracy agreement. Commissioner Karel De Gucht said she hoped the guidance of the ECJ would ease the concerns of European citizens who [...]

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) sent a letter to US officials Tuesday urging an investigation into the crackdown against protesters by forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh . In a deal brokered by Middle Eastern leaders in November, Saleh agreed to give up power in exchange for receiving immunity from [...]