A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Monday that nondisclosure requirements contained in national security letters (NSLs) sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Internet service providers (ISPs) are violations of the ISPs' First Amendment free speech rights. The case, John Doe, Inc. v. Mukasey, concerned [...]

The Pentagon announced Monday that US Army Col. James Pohl , who presided over several court-martial proceedings resulting from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal , will be the new chief judge for the US military commissions . Pohl replaces Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann , who announced his immediate retirement last month. Pohl noted Monday that [...]

US Marine Sgt. Jermaine Nelson pleaded not guilty Monday in a military court at Camp Pendleton to charges of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in connection with the November 2004 killing of four detained Iraqi insurgents. Nelson and another Marine, Sgt. Ryan Weemer , face charges related to the killings during the 2004 battle [...]

The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the government must change the proposed route for its West Bank security barrier , finding that the current plan encroaches too much on Palestinian territory. The court found the government in contempt for failing to follow its previous instructions to infringe on as little Palestinian land as [...]

The Hungarian Constitutional Court on Monday struck down a law that would have given certain rights to same-sex couples, ruling that it diminishes the importance of marriage. The law, passed last year , would have recognized civil partnerships between same-sex couples and unmarried couples, giving them the same inheritance, tax, and financial rights as married [...]

John Doe, Inc., John Doe, American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, v. Michael B. Mukasey, et al., US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, December 15, 2008 . Read the full text of the opinion . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced Monday that confirmation hearings for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder will be delayed one week, after Republicans objected that they did not have enough time to review Holder's record. Hearings were originally scheduled to begin January 8, but will now begin January 15, following a [...]

The Illinois House of Representatives voted 113-0 Monday to begin an inquiry into whether Governor Rod Blagojevich should be impeached. House Speaker Michael Madigan appointed a committee that will begin its investigation Tuesday, gathering evidence and testimony related to the charges. Hearings are expected to continue for several weeks. If the committee recommends impeachment, it [...]

JURIST Special Guest Columnist Materneau Chrispin, PhD candidate in International Law at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, says that Pakistan's refusal to extradite two of its citizens to India where they are wanted in connection with the November terrorist attacks on hotels in Mumbai may be valid under international law if Pakistan commits to prosecuting [...]

The Malaysian government on Monday introduced a bill that would set up a committee to discipline judges who violate the country's judicial ethics code. The Judges' Ethics Committee Bill 2008 was tabled Monday by the Dewan Rakyat , the Malaysian parliament, and will be considered at a later date. If passed, the legislation would allow [...]