The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously in Levin v. Commerce Energy that federal courts lack original jurisdiction over state tax claims based on discrimination. The court held that, under the comity doctrine, a taxpayer's complaint of allegedly discriminatory state taxation, even when framed as a request to increase a competitor's tax burden, must [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 5-4 in Berghuis v. Thompkins that when Miranda warnings are properly given, a person wishing to invoke the right to remain silent must do so unambiguously. The court overturned a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which held that the defendant's nearly three-hour [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in Carr v. United States that the failure to register provision of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) does not apply retroactively to offenses occurring before SORNA's enactment. Authoring the opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor reversed the lower court ruling after reviewing the statutory language stating, "That [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously in Samantar v. Yousef that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) does not grant foreign officials immunity from civil lawsuits. In affirming the decision of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and resolving a circuit split, the court held that Congress had [...]

The UN Security Council Tuesday called for a "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation" into a weekend raid by Israeli commandos on an aid flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza strip in which 10 civilians on a Turkish ship were killed. Reaffirming two earlier resolutions calling for a two-state solution and unimpeded humanitarian assistance , [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday granted certiorari in Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. United States to decide whether medical students working as full-time residents are eligible for the student exception to Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes imposed on employers and employees. Medical students working for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday decided in Alabama v. North Carolina to adopt the recommendations of the Special Master in an interstate dispute over the disposal of radioactive waste. The court has original jurisdiction over the dispute and agreed to hear the suit in 2003. Both parties were seeking exceptions to the reports of [...]

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday hailed the dawning of an "age of accountability" during the opening day of the review session of the International Criminal Court (ICC) . Ban described the first Review Conference of the Rome Statute , where delegates from ICC member states will consider amendments to the founding statute , [...]

China's Supreme People's Court announced Sunday that evidence obtained through violence or intimidation will be barred from use in criminal trials and death penalty cases. The new regulations require prosecutors to provide the court with records from interrogations and allow defendants convicted in death penalty cases to request an inquiry into the validity of their [...]

The Iraqi Supreme Court on Tuesday ratified the final results of the nation's March 7 parliamentary elections , officially confirming a narrow victory for the secular Iraqiya alliance. The court's chief judge, Madhat al-Mahmoud, announced the ratification during a television broadcast of the ruling. The ruling confirms 91 seats of the 325-member parliament for the [...]