Associated Press CEO Tom Curley told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that passage of the OPEN FOIA Act is a necessary first step to counter the "secrecy reflex at some agencies." At a hearing , Curley said that the use of section b(3) of the Freedom of Information Act , which allows Congress to [...]

Jo Cartwright : "The Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) interim guidelines on assisted dying following Debbie Purdy's legal victory represent a small but significant breakthrough for greater patient choice, control and protection at the end of life. We at Dignity in Dying hear from many people who, understandably, do not want to suffer unbearably and [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday added 10 cases to its 2009 docket. In addition to taking a case dealing with the Second Amendment and another on a controversial terrorism law , the Court also granted certiorari in eight other cases. In Berghuis v. Thompkins , the Court will consider whether a police officer can [...]

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced Wednesday that the ICC will prosecute the most responsible parties for the December 2007 Kenyan post-election violence now that Kenya's September 30 deadline to establish an appropriate tribunal has lapsed. Because Kenya is party to the Rome Statute , Moreno-Ocampo may prosecute suspects for crimes over [...]

Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia, September 30, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on South Ossetia conflict which eventually drew in Russian troops.

In Re: Islamic Republic of Iran Terrorist Litigation, US District Court for the District of Columbia, September 30, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here.

Andrew Morgan, Pitt Law '11, attended a lecture given by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd while in Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit… I'll be the first to admit that I don't know an awful lot about Australian politics. When I received a press pass for a speech by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at Pittsburgh's [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a controversial case dealing with gun rights and another dealing with a terrorism law. In McDonald v. Chicago , the Court will decide whether the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is incorporated as against the states by the Fourteenth Amendment's Privileges or Immunities [...]

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. said Tuesday that charges would be dropped against four University of Pittsburgh students arrested during protests of last week's Pittsburgh Group of 20 (G-20) Summit . Zappala indicated that some of the students may have been used as pawns by protesters and those looking to cause damage. Police [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to rule that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is authorized to issue decisions regarding the Nation Labor Relations Act (NLRA) when three out of five board seats are vacant. US Solicitor General Elena Kagan filed a petition for certiorari in one case [...]