An Argentinian state prosecutor recommended Friday that all lawsuits arising out of crimes committed under the Francisco Franco regime be dismissed because they are being dealt with in Spain. Prosecutor Federico Delgado explained that while any state may prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity universal jurisdiction applies only if the state with primary jurisdiction to [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged Central African nations to adopt a legally binding instrument to combat illicit arms trafficking. Ban noted that there is a strong correlation between arms trafficking and illicit activities, "et Central Africa remains one of the few African subregions without a legally binding instrument to combat the phenomenon." Ban [...]

A German federal court on Friday ruled that the government has no legal basis for keeping files on top Nazi official Adolf Eichmann secret, ordering their release. Argentinian journalist Gabriele Weber filed suit in order to get the documents released, arguing that the documents could fill gaps about Eichmann's postwar life. The government argued that [...]

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Friday placed Russia, China, and Canada on its Priority Watch List of 12 countries that are not adequately protecting intellectual property rights . The USTR stated that the Chinese, on the list for the sixth straight year, are using preferential government procurement to advance "indigenous innovation," [...]

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) on Friday signed into law a bill designed to clarify the recently passed immigration law . The original bill, signed into law last week, makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant and requires police to question anyone whose immigration status appears suspect. It caused intense controversy, with opponents [...]

Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan pleaded guilty Thursday on charges of accepting more than $2.6 million in kickbacks for sentencing teenagers to two private juvenile detention facilities in which he had a financial interest. The former president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, which [...]

Law enforcement officials on Thursday told the Wall Street Journal that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is opening a criminal investigation of Goldman, Sachs & Co. for possible securities fraud in mortgage trading. Two weeks ago, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil charges against Goldman Sachs. While the SEC referred the [...]

Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr on Friday refused for the second straight day to attend preliminary hearings relating to his pending murder and terrorism charges , claiming he is being mistreated by military guards. On Thursday, Khadr refused to attend the proceedings, stating that the blackout goggles required by military protocol were aggravating an [...]

Anna Mandel, Boston College '11 currently studying law in London, discusses the impact of recent clarifications to the United Kingdom's Suicide Act of 1961… Assisted suicide has become a controversial and provocative legal topic around the world, particularly in the European Union. JURIST has reported on assisted suicide law and policy in the United Kingdom [...]

Law enforcement officials on Thursday told the Wall Street Journal that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is opening a criminal investigation of Goldman, Sachs & Co. for possible securities fraud in mortgage trading. Two weeks ago, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil charges against Goldman Sachs. While the SEC referred the [...]