JURIST Contributing Editor Michael A. Olivas of the University of Houston Law Center says that the Secure Fence Act signed into law by President Bush and authorizing the construction of a 700-mile barrier along part of the US border with Mexico is a shortsighted election-time absurdity that cannot work… I once had a friend who [...]

The US Defense Department said Wednesday that it is considering plans to increase the number of courtrooms at the US prison facility in Guantanamo Bay in order to begin trying suspected terrorists, a proposal that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Detainee Affairs Charles "Cully" Stimson said the plans [...]

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has urged Serbians to vote in favor of the country's new constitution in this weekend's referendum, saying a rejection of the charter would have "grave and unforeseeable" consequences for Serbia's future. If approved, the new constitution will make Serbia an independent state for the first time since 1918 and also [...]

A federal judge in Indiana ruled Wednesday that Indiana correctly enforced its statute governing prerecorded messages when it chose to prohibit the Republican-backed Economic Freedom Fund (EFF) from conducting automated attack push polls in the state during the lead-up to the November elections. The Indiana statute prohibits such automated calls unless they are prearranged by [...]

The International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) in West Hollywood, California, has announced that JURIST has won a W3 Gold Award for website excellence in the Law and Legal Services category for 2006. The W3 Awards – evoking the triple "w" in many addresses on the World Wide Web – honor outstanding websites, web [...]

Lewis v. Harris, Supreme Court of New Jersey, October 25, 2006 . Read the full text of the ruling . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Her Majesty v. Khawaja, Ontario Superior Court, October 24, 2006 . Read the full text of the ruling . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Canadian Justice Minister Vic Toews said Wednesday that the Canadian government will review and perhaps appeal an Ontario Superior Court ruling that struck down as unconstitutional a key provision of Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act . In its decision Tuesday, the Ontario court held that the section of the Anti-Terrorism Act that defines "terrorism" is unconstitutionally vague [...]

Prosecutors in Argentina argued before an Argentinean federal judge Wednesday that he should authorize the arrest of several Iranian officials for their alleged roles the AMIA Jewish cultural center bombing that killed 85 people and wounded over 200 more in Buenos Aries in 1994. Most notably, prosecutors asked the judge to order the arrest of [...]

Quebec Justice John Gomery told CBC News Wednesday that his recent recommendations on limiting government corruption and abuse of power in the wake of the federal sponsorship scandal have been lost in a "black hole" due to the inaction of Canada's Conservative Party government, which took power from the Liberals in a January election. According [...]