A close associate of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told AP Friday that al-Maliki was unaware of a controversial plan by Shiite Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani to arrest Sunni leader Harith al-Dhari , head of the powerful Association of Muslim Scholars and a vocal critic of the majority-Shiite government, on charges of incitement of terrorism [...]

Ex parte Jose Ernesto Medellin, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, November 17, 2006 . Read the full text of the ruling. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Referral Bench of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ruled Friday that the case of former Serbian commander Vladimir Kovacevic should be transferred to Serbia within 30 days. The decision marks the first time the ICTY has sent an indictment to Serbia pursuant to Rule 11 bis of the ICTY's Rules [...]

The US military has preliminary plans to build a new legal compound at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba , where trials of detainees may begin to take place as early as June, the Miami Herald reported Friday. According to a federal solicitation notice seeking contractors, the compound will include a secure perimeter, a courthouse with two large [...]

US District Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled Friday in support of a bid by the US Department of Justice to bar terrorism suspect Majid Khan from access to a civilian lawyer unless and until the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit resolves the issue of military detainee rights. The government had argued that [...]

German officials have expressed some concern about the future of the proposed European Constitution in light of positions taken by two leading rivals for the French presidency. Newly-chosen French Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal , and conservative aspirant Nicolas Sarkozy have both shown reservations about approving the charter after French voters rejected it last May. [...]

Computer Associates is seeking repayment of legal defense costs totaling $14.9 million it fronted on behalf of former CEO Sanjay Kumar . The software maker filed suit against Kumar in New York State Supreme Court last week. Judge Stephen Bucaria granted CA's motion to attach Kumar's house and a collection of luxury cars on Wednesday, [...]

German prosecutors Friday filed an appeal for the arrest of Mounir al-Motassadeq , a German 9/11 suspect free on bail following Thursday's overturning of a lower court decision acquitting Motassadeq of assisting the men who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on the US. Hamburg's state superior court ruled that despite Motassadeq's conviction, he should [...]

US military Combatant Status Review Tribunals do not offer detainees at Guantanamo Bay an adequate opportunity to contest the accusations against them or to object to their status as enemy combatants , according to a report released Friday. Seton Hall law professor Mark Denbeaux and Joshua Denbeaux analyzed transcripts and recordings of 393 detainee hearings, [...]

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Friday that the government would investigate allegations that Netherlands military personnel abused Iraqi prisoners in 2003 by subjecting them to sleep deprivation, high-pitched noises and bright lights. According to a report Friday in Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant , Dutch interrogators carried out the abusive techniques in the southern [...]