The UK House of Lords on Tuesday rejected a proposed amendment that would have barred the prosecution of those who go abroad to help others commit assisted suicide. The proposed provision of the Coroners and Justice Bill , which covered "acts not capable of encouraging or assisting suicide," was rejected by a 141-194 vote during [...]

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Tuesday announced plans to hold a public hearing on a series of regulatory reforms aimed at curbing excessive speculation in energy commodity markets. CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said that the different regulatory treatment given to agriculture commodities, for which the CFTC sets position limits, and energy commodities, [...]

Investigators from the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday concluded public hearings into alleged violations of international human rights law during December and January's fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip. The head of the four person UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict , former South African Constitutional Court judge Richard [...]

The UN Security Council on Tuesday extended the terms for judges from the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) until December 31, 2010, or until they complete their cases. In unanimously adopting resolutions 1877 and 1878 , the Security Council extended the terms for 30 permanent and ad litem ICTY [...]

Britain's Justice Secretary Jack Straw on Tuesday proposed expanded laws that would allow British authorities to prosecute non-resident individuals suspected of war crimes. With the proposed changes, individuals who currently live in the UK, but are not residents, may be prosecuted for war crimes or genocide that took place as long ago as 1991. Such [...]

Prosecution Document in Support of Appeal against the "Decision on the Prosecution's Application for a Warrant of Arrest against Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir", International Criminal Court prosecutors, July 7, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on Omar al-Bashir.

An Act… to amend An Act To establish a code of law for the District ofColumbia to provide that marriages legally entered into in another jurisdiction by 2 persons of the same sex shall be recognized in the District of Columbia, Council of the District of Columbia, July 7, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper [...]

A Washington, DC law recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or jurisdictions took effect Tuesday, following Congressional inaction on the matter. The Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009, passed by the Council of the District of Columbia in May by a 12-1 final vote , was subject to Congressional review pursuant to the [...]

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary on Tuesday gave US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a unanimous "well-qualified" rating . Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , said that the positive assessment should aid Sotomayor in her confirmation hearings , scheduled to begin next week: The American [...]

Iranian opposition leaders called Tuesday for the release of persons detained for their alleged involvement in protests following last month's disputed presidential election . The request was brought jointly by candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and former president Mohammad Khatami, who also called for the government immediately to stop the allegedly baseless arrests [...]