A bill overwriting judicial interpretations which have narrowed protections under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) awaits President Bush's signature following passage by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. The ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which was approved by a voice vote, purports to "restore the intent and protections" of the landmark civil rights [...]

The US House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to open an impeachment investigation of US District Judge Thomas Porteous of the Eastern District of Louisiana , who is accused of perjury and accepting bribes from lawyers. The committee unanimously approved a resolution creating a task force to conduct the inquiry, which is the first of a [...]

FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday defended proposed investigation guidelines before the US Senate Judiciary Committee as a "necessary step" in fighting terrorism. Opponents have argued that the changes could allow inappropriate racial and ethnic profiling and would permit agents to open terror investigations without evidence of any crime having been committed. Appearing at a [...]

Prosecutors told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Wednesday that they plan to revise the charges against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic by Monday. Appearing in the war crimes tribunal's Trial Chamber, prosecutor Alan Tieger said he would seek court permission to amend an indictment issued in 2000. He did not [...]

FBI Director Robert Mueller told the US House Judiciary Committee Tuesday that the federal government would commission an independent review of the FBI's use of scientific evidence in its investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks . Mueller said during a hearing on FBI oversight that officials have been discussing such a review with the National [...]

The US House of Representatives passed proposed legislation Tuesday night that would partially lift the ban on offshore oil drilling as part of a comprehensive energy proposal. The bill, entitled the "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act," was passed by a vote of 236-189 . The Act would authorize drilling activities 50 miles [...]

Scot Ross : "Wisconsin Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen, the co-chair of the John McCain for President campaign, filed a lawsuit last week against the state's Government Accountability Board (GAB) to require crosschecking of all new voters registered by mail against driver's license and Social Security records all the way back to January 1, [...]

Five former members of the Brigade of Gurkhas began arguments Tuesday in the High Court in London against an immigration policy that has precluded thousands of retired Nepalese members of the British Army from remaining in the UK. In 2007, a Ministerial Announcement provided that all Gurkhas retiring on or after July 1, 1997 would [...]

A US military judge has scheduled the trial of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr for November 10, but the Canadian citizen's lawyer said Tuesday that the date is likely to be pushed back further. According to a schedule set by US Army Col. Patrick Parrish, who is serving as judge for the military commission proceedings , [...]

South African President Thabo Mbeki spoke out Tuesday against an International Criminal Court indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir , telling reporters that the move will jeopardize stability in the Darfur region . Mbeki and Bashir issued a joint statement following two days of meetings, focusing in part on possible negative repercussions of an ICC [...]