The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of wrongful death claims by the families of two former Guantanamo Bay detainees, Yasser Al-Zahrani of Saudi Arabia and Salah Al-Salami of Yemen, who committed suicide while in detention in 2006. The families filed a civil lawsuit against the [...]

The Maryland State Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that would permit the legal marriage of same-sex couples within the state. This bill is a cross-filing of HB438 which was approved by the Maryland House of Delegates last week. The bill is expected to move to debate by the full Senate after [...]

JURIST Assistant Editor Kimberly Bennett, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Class of 2014, argues that the Stolen Valor Act is a piece of wartime legislation that is not the least restrictive means of furthering the government’s interest and, as such, should be overturned… (Her opinions are not intended to represent those of JURIST)

A Palestinian held without trial ended his 66-day hunger strike on Tuesday after Israeli authorities announced his release as part of a deal that avoids judicial review of the Israeli detention policy. The prisoner, Khader Adnan, is a 33-year-old member of the militant group Islamic Jihad who had been refusing food since his arrest in [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Tuesday. In Freeman v. Quicken Loans, Inc. the court heard arguments on whether Section 8(b) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) prohibits a real estate settlement services provider from only charging an unearned fee when the fee is divided between two or more [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday in Kawashima v. Holder that, under the Immigration and Nationality Act , the making of false tax returns is a crime involving fraud or deceit, which can result in deportation, when the government suffers a loss of more than $10,000. Petitioners Akio and Fusako Kawashima are natives [...]

JURIST Senior Editor Edward SanFilippo, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Class of 2013, discusses how Pennsylvania House Resolution 535 reveals an underlying tension between the Establishment Clause and free speech… (His opinions are not intended to represent those of JURIST)

Pakistan authorities pledged Tuesday to arrest former president Pervez Musharraf for his alleged involvement in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto . Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the “government is moving for his red notice” which is an Interpol international arrest warrant. Interpol did not yet provide any comments concerning this issue. [...]

A panel of experts representing the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday denounced the arrest of 16 people by Syrian forces last Thursday, calling for their release. On Thursday afternoon, Syrian forces raided the offices of a human rights organization in Syria, arrested 16 people there, blindfolded them and [...]

The Tribunale Ordinario di Roma on Monday ordered nine alleged Somali pirates to be tried in Italy’s first international piracy trial on charges of attacking the Montecristo, an Italian cargo vessel, off the coast of Somalia last year. Currently being held in Italy, five of the suspected pirates will be judged in the criminal division [...]