The head of the UK's judiciary on Wednesday said that judges have been improperly excluded from debate over "major constitutional changes" in recent years. In a speech at a judicial banquet held by the Lord Mayor of London Ian Luder, Lord Chief Justice Lord Igor Judge suggested that judges may have a have a "duty [...]

Russian human rights activist Natalia Estemirova was kidnapped in Grozny Wednesday morning and shot to death, according to news reports. Estemirova, 50, investigated allegations of human rights violations in Chechnya for about 10 years. Estemirova's body, which had been shot multiple times, was found Wednesday afternoon in nearby Ingushetia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he [...]

JURIST Contributing Editor Michael A. Olivas of the University of Houston Law Center says that the nomination and expected confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina, shows how far Latino lawyers and the Latino community in the United States have come, even if anti-immigrant discourse and discrimination show how far they have yet to go… [...]

The sodomy trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim began in Kuala Lampur on Wednesday, one year after he was arrested. Anwar is charged with sodomizing a male aide in June 2008, though his lawyers have claimed that he was not at the site of the suspected act . Prior to the commencement of trial [...]

TFWS, Inc. v. Franchot, et al., US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, July 15, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the Sherman Act.

US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told the US Senate during confirmation hearings on Wednesday said that she has rejected personal bias and "ruled according to the law" in abortion-related cases. During questioning by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) , Sotomayor said that the White House did not ask her about her personal views on legal [...]

Sarah Yeomans : "The recent release of UNESCO's Final Report on Damage Assessment in Babylon is a significant step in the right direction toward preserving the rich material culture of Iraq's past. Among the recommendations for archaeological mitigation in Babylon made by the ICC is adherence to the provisions of the Iraqi Antiquity laws, which [...]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin urged lawmakers Tuesday to pass an antitrust bill that would impose criminal penalties for unfair competition. The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said that the current law is too vague and prevents criminal punishment. The draft bill seeks to amend current legislation to clarify the definition of unfair competition, establish administrative liability [...]

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Tuesday that the Netherlands would be willing to consider accepting Guantanamo Bay detainees, despite earlier statements to the contrary. Meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, Balkenende said that his country might accept transferred detainees if it would help to close the detention facility . The [...]

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is engaging in more vigorous enforcement of its rules and policies in order to address the financial crisis and improve investor protection, Chairman Mary Schapiro testified before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises Tuesday. Schapiro testified that proposed policy changes will [...]