Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Granholm, By Any Means Necessary, US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, November 10, 2006 . Read the full text of the lawsuit . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Netherlands cabinet announced plans Friday to press for a ban on the wearing of the full-length Muslim burqa and the niqab , the Muslim headscarf for women that leaves only the eyes visible. Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk said the goverment cannot currently enforce a total ban on the garments because of laws governing [...]

A Rwandan community court convicted a Catholic nun of genocide charges Friday for assisting in the Hutumassacre of Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide . The nun, Theopister Mukakibibi, reportedly aided Hutu extremist groups and facilitated the slaughter of several hundred Tutsis who sought refuge in a Butare hospital during the 100-day massacre. She now [...]

Italian prosecutors have reportedly added an 11-page handwritten note to their compilation of evidence in the case of the alleged 2003 CIA kidnapping of Egyptian cleric Moustafa Hassan Nasr in Italy. In the note, Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, claims he was abused by his captors who allegedly issued threats of violence, electric shocks, [...]

UK Home Secretary John Reid has advocated a range of criminal sentencing reforms for UK courts in a consultation paper released Thursday that accords judges greater discretion to increase sentences for dangerous criminals and advises judges to explicitly state the minimum and maximum sentences for defendants. The paper, entitled "Making Sentencing Clearer," suggests judges use [...]

Canada's highest-ranking judges took the unusual step Thursday of responding publicly and negatively to a suggestion by Canadian Justice Minister Vic Toews that law enforcement representatives be added to the regional panels that screen candidates for federal judgeships, saying that no changes should take place without "meaningful consultation." The Canadian Judicial Council , comprising the [...]

Affirmative action coalition By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposal 2 , the amendment approved by Michigan voters on Nov. 7 to restrict affirmative action in state public employment, public education and state contracting. Wednesday's lawsuit claims that the amendment violates federal constitutional rights, arguing that equal protection [...]

A Leeds Crown Court jury entered a unanimous not guilty verdict Friday for British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin and senior aide Mark Collett in their retrial on charges of inciting racial hatred . Outside the courthouse, Griffin characterized the outcome as a victory for freedom against Tony Blair and accused BBC News of [...]

A UK man was convicted Thursday of inciting racial hatred during a February protest in London against publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad . Mizanur Rahman, 23, was arrested after a rally at the Danish embassy in Chelsea and also charged with inciting murder, but the jury could not reach a verdict on that [...]

The Bush administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill appear likely to clash over legislation authorizing domestic surveillance of suspected terrorists when the lame-duck Congress returns to Washington next week. During a Rose Garden appearance following a Cabinet meeting Thursday, President Bush urged lawmakers to pass the Terrorist Surveillance Act, which he called an "important priority [...]