Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert S. Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the FBI has launched internal investigations into media leaks of details relating to several public corruption probes. The FBI had pending investigations of Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) , Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) but word leaked [...]

The Bulgarian Parliament voted Wednesday to open the archives of the nation's former communist secret service in order to disclose information about 29 categories of people who currently hold or have held positions of responsibility in Bulgaria . The law, which passed with 107 votes in favor and 42 against, requires the publication of all [...]

The US Supreme Court heard no oral arguments Wednesday despite it being a scheduled argument day, an unusual development reflecting a gap in its docket caused by a decrease in the number of cases it chooses to hear . Compared to last year, the Court has accepted 40 percent fewer cases, and will likely face [...]

US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) , outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , and current ranking member of the committee Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have introduced a bill which would restore habeas corpus rights to military detainees and amend the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA) . A key provision in the MCA, which [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill that eliminates a rule requiring at least 50 percent of voters to turn out in order for poll results to be validated. Putin signed the measure despite opposition by Ella Pamfilova , the chairwoman of Putin's Human Rights Council , and other critics [...]

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli resigned Wednesday after admitting that he gave incorrect testimony to a Canadian House of Commons committee about the Maher Arar case. Arar is a Canadian citizen who, on suspicion of ties to al Qaeda, was deported from the US to Syria in 2002 and tortured there. Canadian Prime [...]

The US Senate unanimously passed the Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act Wednesday, a bill that will increase security measures for judges both in and out of courtrooms across the country. The bill was written in response to the increased number of courtroom shootings and attacks on judges and their family members in [...]

The Iraq Study Group (ISG) recommended Wednesday that the Bush administration provide "strong" support and funding for US Justice Department efforts in Iraq "to establish courts; to train judges, prosecutors, and investigators; and to create institutions and practices to fight corruption." In its report , the ISG noted that "new and refurbished courthouses with improved [...]

US v. Belfast, US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, December 6, 2006 . Read the full text of the indictment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US House of Representatives Wednesday rejected by a vote of 250-162 a controversial bill that would have mandated medical practitioners to inform women seeking an abortion after 20 weeks of the pain the procedure causes to an unborn fetus. The Unknown Child Awareness Act, HR 6099 , introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) , [...]