A Russian government commission is examining the legality of the Soviet Union's pre-World War II artwork sales, an official from the State Hermitage Museum said on Tuesday. Museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky said in his St. Petersburg state-of-the-museum report that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has commissioned the group to investigate whether the sales were legal under [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in two cases. In Arizona v. Johnson , the Court heard arguments on whether the Fourth Amendment permits a police officer to search a vehicle passenger during a routine traffic stop if he believes that suspect may be armed and dangerous but has no justifiable reason to [...]

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on Monday told reporters that confirmation hearings for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder would begin in January, as soon as the Senate reconvenes. Leahy, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee , met privately with Holder on Monday. Leahy hopes for a confirmation vote as soon as President-elect Barack Obama is [...]

The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) formally began operations Tuesday. EULEX is a civilian mission under the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) replacing the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) . EULEX will assist and support Kosovo authorities in the areas of police, judiciary, and customs. Approximately 1,400 internationals, including [...]

Michelle M. Lindo McCluer : "For the first time in half a century, the President approved a military death sentence this summer. Army Private Ronald Gray was sentenced to death by a military court-martial panel in 1988 after convicting him of two murders, three rapes, an attempted murder, and a host of other crimes. A [...]

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested Tuesday by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on charges of corruption . They have both been charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They are accused of conspiring to sell or trade the [...]

A federal judge in Utah ruled Monday that five indicted Blackwater USA guards involved in the September 2007 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians must report to a DC court. Lawyers for the five guards tried to move the proceedings to Utah, where one of the guards lives, but a federal magistrate judge in Salt Lake [...]

Pakistani officials said Tuesday that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will not hand over to India any Pakistani citizens arrested in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks , insisting instead on a joint investigation with Indian officials. Several offices of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been raided as Pakistan intensifies its efforts to [...]

The Hebei Supreme Court in China on Monday rejected a class action suit filed against government-owned dairy farm Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co. by the families of children who died or were harmed as a result of tainted milk. Lawyers for the families said that the while the prosecutor's office accepted their papers, it refused to [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases. In Peake v. Sanders , the Court considered whether the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) bears the burden of proof that it adequately informed a veteran of the information needed to process a benefits claim under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act (VCAA) . [...]