The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday proposed reforms to simplify and clarify international divorce laws. Under the proposal, married couples from different European Union (EU) countries could choose the country of the divorce, and the various courts would use a common formula to decide which country's law applies when a couple disagrees. EC Vice President [...]

French President Nicholas Sarkozy said Wednesday that the government will introduce legislation to ban traditional Muslim face veils in public places. Sarkozy's announcement comes weeks after a French parliamentary commission charged with investigating whether to enact laws banning the wearing of burqas or other "full veils" released its report calling for a partial ban that [...]

The Russian State Duma on Wednesday approved a bill to ban pre-trial detention for suspects accused of economic crimes. The legislation would allow those charged with financial crimes to be bailed out of jail at any time during legal proceedings for a minimum bail charge of 100,000 rubles (USD $3,300), and 500,000 rubles (USD $16,600) [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a permanent injunction Wednesday against a Texas city ordinance prohibiting illegal immigrants from renting property in the city. Judge Jane Boyle ruled that the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch cannot enforce Ordinance 2952 , which required prospective renters to affirm they [...]

US President Barack Obama signed an executive order Wednesday continuing a prohibition on the use of federal funds for abortion except in cases of rape or incest or where a woman's life would be endangered. Some anti-abortion congressional Democrats insisted on the order as a condition for their support of the Patient Protection and Affordable [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in two cases. In Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha v. Regal-Beloit Corporation , the court heard arguments on whether the Carmack Amendment to the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 applies to the inland rail transportation of goods in the US that originate out of the country when the shipment [...]

Executive Order, President Obama, March 24, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on abortion funding.

Megan McKee, Pitt Law '12, takes a personal perspective on citizenship and women's rights in Lebanon… Sara Burhan Abdullah's recent JURIST Dateline article on women's rights and citizenship in Iraq reminded me of a similar predicament faced by Lebanese women. In Iraqi law, as in Lebanese law, citizenship may only be inherited through men, both [...]

Two Uighurs held at Guantanamo Bay were transferred to Switzerland on Wednesday. Switzerland granted humanitarian type B residence permits allowing the two to live in the canton of Jura. Both have agreed to respect Swiss laws, learn the local language, and secure gainful employment. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that the detainees had [...]

Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday urged government officials in El Salvador to repeal a 1993 amnesty law that prevents any investigation into killings committed during the country's 12-year civil war , including the killing of respected Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero . AI also urged officials to cooperate with any investigation into the prosecution of those [...]