The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the lethal injection method of execution. In a split 5-2 decision, the court held that there is no basis under Ohio law for litigating the issue of whether the lethal injection process is constitutional. The question was referred to the high court by the US [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday issued an order requesting that the Central African Republic take steps to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and transfer him to the court if he should enter the country for its independence celebrations. As a party to the ICC’s Rome Statute , the country is obligated to execute [...]

Staff Sergeant Robert Stevens pleaded guilty on Wednesday to shooting two unarmed Afghan farmers at a trial held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord . Stevens pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, wrongfully tossing a grenade out of his vehicle, making false statements to military investigators and dereliction of duty. He did not plead [...]

The Ontario Court of Appeal on Thursday ruled that several prostitution-related laws struck down by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (OSCJ) would remain in effect until April 29, pending an appeal. Justice Marc Rosenberg issued an extension of the stay requested by lawyers for the federal and Ontario governments to preserve the provisions that [...]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday proposed new rules for promoting openness on the Internet. The proposed regulations, if adopted by Congress, would be the first open Internet rules in the nation. The proposal would require transparency of Internet broadband networks to help consumers make better decisions about services, preserve open access to all [...]

The UK Parliament published legislation on Wednesday that would provide visiting foreign officials with more protection from being arrested on war crimes charges while visiting the UK. The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill would amend the current procedures under which victims of an alleged war crime can receive an arrest warrant under the UK [...]

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday voted 32-24 in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex civil unions . The vote comes a day after the Illinois House of Representatives voted 62-51 in favor of the bill, which will now go to Governor Pat Quinn (D) for his signature. Quinn is expected to sign the bill . [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Milner v. Department of the Navy on the ability of the government to withhold information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) . The issue is whether 5 USC § 552(b)(2) (Exemption 2), which allows a government agency to keep secret only documents related solely to [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging a provision of the health care reform law requiring all individuals to maintain health insurance. The lawsuit, filed by Liberty University , alleged that Congress had exceeded its constitutional powers by mandating that employers provide health [...]

A French appeals court on Wednesday sentenced former Basque separatist leader, Jose Antonio Urrutikoetxea, to seven years in prison for association with a terrorist organization. Urrutikoetxea is a former member of the Basque regional parliament and led the ETA until 2006. He was convicted and sentenced in absentia by the court after his fingerprints were [...]