The Michigan Supreme Court has permitted lower courts to use "reasonable control" over the appearance of those who arrive in court, effectively allowing judges to ban certain religious clothing. In an order issued Tuesday, the court amended the Michigan Rules of Evidence , motivated by the 2006 case of Ginnah Muhammad. Muhammad had filed a [...]

Spanish National Court Judge Baltasar Garzon said during a visit to Honduras Tuesday that he is gravely concerned by the human rights situation in the country. Garzon, famed for indicting Osama bin Laden and former Latin American dictator Augusto Pinochet , spoke at a human rights forum organized by the Center for Research and Promotion [...]

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that Italy was negligent in completing an accurate investigation of the death of a protester at the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa . The court awarded €40,000 to the family of Carlo Giuliani, the protester who died after being shot by an Italian police officer as his [...]

The Argentine Supreme Court unanimously held Tuesday that possession of small amounts of marijuana for private, personal consumption that does not endanger or harm third parties is not punishable by law. The ruling reversed a lower court ruling that had convicted five defendants for possessing small amounts of marijuana. The court found the second paragraph [...]

Iran on Tuesday began the trials of more reformers accused of attempting to overthrow the government in a "velvet revolution" following the disputed June 12 presidential election . This trial is the fourth of its kind to occur since reformists, protesters, and journalists were arrested during the widespread demonstrations that took place in the weeks [...]

The British Department for Business Innovation and Skills on Tuesday proposed stricter sanctions against illegal file-sharing that would include restricting and suspending user Internet access. The proposed regulations would be managed by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) , which would report to Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson , recommending action against specific users. The proposals [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday ruled against a Humanitarian Law Project (HLP) challenge to former President George W. Bush's Executive Order 13224 , which prohibits unlicensed US groups and individuals from providing services to certain terrorist organizations designated by the government. The HLP wanted to aid the Kurdistan Worker’s [...]

A US military judge ruled Monday that lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainee and accused 9/11 co-conspirator Ramzi bin al-Shibh will not be allowed to tour secret CIA prisons, known as "black sites" where al-Shibh was detained, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday. Al-Shibh's lawyers had sought access to the sites in order to determine whether he [...]

Chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday filed arguments against releasing former Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) rebel leader Jean Pierre Bemba . The ICC ordered Bemba's conditional release earlier this month, a decision which Moreno-Ocampo immediately appealed . In court documents filed Monday, Moreno-Ocampo argued that Bemba should remain [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Central District Court of California dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on judisdictional grounds Tuesday. The suit, filed by Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer, two men who were married in California, alleges that DOMA violates the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause, [...]