JURIST Guest Columnist Douglas NeJaime of Loyola Law School Los Angeles says that while the mainstreaming of gay rights is a good thing, movement lawyers who have traditionally championed the cause may have to get used to being displaced by mainstream, non-movement lawyers over whom they have less and less control…. A significant shift has [...]

The corruption trial of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori opened Monday with Fujimori confessing to having paid former Peruvian Intelligence Director Vladimiro Montesino $15 million to resign in 2000, but denying any criminal liability. Fujimori's confession was limited only to the facts in the case against him. He did not admit any wrongdoing or accept [...]

Gary Biller : "The National Motorists Association (NMA) opposes roadblocks and/or checkpoints with only one exception: when motorists need to be warned about unseen peril ahead, such as a collapsed bridge or washed-out roadway. Currently, roadblocks are also used for vehicle safety inspections, seatbelt use, driver's license possession, mandated insurance coverage requirements, and, perhaps most [...]

Costa Rica v. Nicaragua, International Court of Justice, July 13, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the International Court of Justice.

US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Monday told the Senate Judiciary Committee during confirmation hearings that she would bring to the Court a judicial philosophy rooted in "fidelity to the law." During her opening statement, Sotomayor emphasized the "different perspectives" she gained on the law as a prosecutor, a corporate attorney, and a judge, [...]

Myanmar is processing grants of amnesty to prisoners to allow them to participate in the 2010 general elections, ambassador U Than Swe told the UN Security Council on Monday. Additionally, Swe maintained that the country intended to implement other recommendations proposed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon . The Security Council meeting followed Ban's visit to [...]

The US Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings Monday for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor , with Democratic and Republican senators offered contrasting interpretations of Sotomayor's judicial record and philosophy. In his opening remarks , committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) cast Sotomayor as having extensive judicial experience and a moderate legal philosophy: [...]

Ugandan officials announced Monday that they plan to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on war crimes charges if he enters the country, pursuant to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant . The announcement followed a meeting between Ugandan minister for international affairs Henry Oryem Okello and ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo. The decision reflects [...]

Accused Nigerian rebel leader Henry Okah was released on Monday after the government dropped treason and gun trafficking charges against him. The government alleges that Okah is the leader of the rebel group Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) , which has been conducting armed attacks against oil production facilities in the delta. [...]

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor began his defense Monday against war crimes charges that include 11 counts of crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and other violations of international humanitarian law. Taylor's trial continues in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) after the court denied his motion for acquittal in May. Prosecutors [...]