Oklahoma state court judge Vicki Robertson ruled Tuesday that a state law requiring women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound within an hour of the procedure violates the Oklahoma Constitution . Without reaching the validity the of the ultrasound requirement itself, the judge held that the law violated a constitutional requirement that legislation only [...]

Bostan v. Obama, et al., US District Court for the District of Columbia, August 19, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here.

German lawmakers on Tuesday agreed to a draft law strengthening parliamentary involvement with the country's representatives to the European Union , a step toward reforms necessary to Germany's ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty . The draft law would require the government to fully inform the Bundestag about negotiations at the EU, and would allow [...]

The Obama administration should not re-sign and ratify the Rome Statute and join the International Criminal Court (ICC) , according to a study released Tuesday by the Heritage Foundation . According to the report, the ICC lacks checks on its power, is a threat to national sovereignty, and could cause complications to military cooperation between [...]

Australian rights group Civil Liberties Australia (CLA) on Wednesday sharply criticized the government's proposed reforms to Australia's national security and anti-terrorism legislation. Last week, Australian Attorney General Robert McClelland released a 452-page discussion paper detailing the proposed changes, including "providing police with new emergency powers to enter and search premises without a warrant where it [...]

The Obama administration has notified Congress of plans to transfer six Guantanamo Bay detainees out of the country, according to a Tuesday Miami Herald report . The notifications were reportedly filed August 7, in accordance with a new law that requires risk assessments and notification of transfers. One of the six detainees is Mohammed Jawad [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday overturned the conviction of former Brocade Communications Systems CEO Gregory Reyes for backdating stock options . Citing prosecutorial misconduct, the appeals court overturned Reyes's 2007 conviction and sentence on conspiracy and fraud charges for backdating stock options. The Ninth Circuit found that the prosecution [...]

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong has been charged with tax evasion, his lawyer said Tuesday. Xu is accused of failing to pay taxes on a $100,000 grant from Yale University earmarked for the legal research center of Xu's Gongmeng human rights group. Xu was taken into custody last month, shortly after Chinese officials [...]

Joshua Posaner : "The recent case in Britain, in which the charity Reprieve is assisting Mohamed Saad Iqbal Madni in filing a lawsuit with the High Court, can only illustrate the fact that the British government is prepared to recognize its duty in giving this man a trial. We also realize that the British security [...]

Russian human rights activists and journalists are suspending their work in Chechnya in the wake of the recent violence, according to a Tuesday Moscow Times report . Rights group Memorial , which employed recently murdered activist Natalia Estemirova , closed its Chechen office soon after her death. Memorial, which has continued work in Chechnya through [...]