Irish President Mary McAleese on Thursday signed the European Union (EU) reform treaty, known as the Treaty of Lisbon , completing the country's ratification process. Ireland has become the 26th nation to ratify the treaty, leaving the Czech Republic as the only one of the 27 member nations that has not yet done so. Irish [...]

The Spanish Congress of Deputies on Thursday gave final approval to a law limiting use of the country's universal jurisdiction statute to those offenses committed by or against Spaniards, or where the perpetrators are in Spain. The measure, which was approved by a vote of 319-5 with three abstentions, enjoyed support from the opposition Popular [...]

A French court on Thursday ruled that a woman cannot recover semen samples donated by her husband prior to his death. The High Court in the Western city of Rennes said that Fabienne Justel could not take her husband's sperm abroad to be used in an artificial insemination because it runs counter to a French [...]

The Queen on the Application of Binyam Mohamed v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, High Court of Justice: Queen's Bench Division, October 16, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the Binyam Mohamed case.

American Civil Liberties Union, et al. v. US Department of Defense, et al., US District Court for the District of Columbia, October 16, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the interrogation documents.

The New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday convicted five men were of conspiracy to do acts in preparation of terrorist attacks. The men, who cannot be named publicly due to other ongoing trials, were found guilty of having stockpiled ammunition and bomb-making materials in order to conduct a terrorist attack on an unspecified location [...]

Ned Comer, et al. v. Murphy Oil USA, et al., US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, October 16, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the Hurricane Katrina.

Assistant US Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez said Wednesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is committed to fighting discrimination against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation. One tool Perez indicated would be useful in this new endeavor is the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, currently under consideration in the House of Representatives and [...]

The French Constitutional Court on Wednesday struck down two articles in a small and medium enterprise (SME) access to credit law that would have legalized Islamic law compliant financial instruments in France. Socialist Party (PS) members of the National Assembly petitioned the court to review two articles that would have legalized Sharia-compliant sukuk, securities that [...]

A Russian historian who was researching his country's treatment of German prisoners of war during World War II was charged on Thursday with violating privacy laws. Mikhail Suprun was in the process of conducting research on the hardships faced by captured German soldiers and civilians held at prisons in Arkhangelsk, northeast of St. Petersburg, when [...]