The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in United States v. Resendiz-Ponce , 05-998, a case that asks justices to decide whether leaving an element of a crime out of an indictment is harmless error. Juan Resendiz-Ponce was deported because of a kidnapping conviction but was subsequently convicted after attempting to re-enter the United [...]

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Tuesday that his government will lift martial law "as soon as we can and when the situation is suitable." The promise came during the first cabinet meeting of the new government, which was installed Monday after receiving approval of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Human rights groups and the US [...]

In a plenary session of the UN General Assembly Monday, judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia urged UN member states to work closely with the international courts to arrest suspects. ICTR President Erik Mose and ICTY President Fausto Pocar presented annual reports on [...]

Turkey asked the European Union Monday to express opposition to a proposed French law which would imposes fines and jail terms on anyone who denies that there was an Armenian genocide . France currently has approximately 400,000 citizens of Armenian origin who claim that 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed when Turkey attempted to [...]

The military rulers of Myanmar Tuesday resumed discussions on a new constitution amidst criticism of the junta's role in the constitutional drafting process. The military has run Myanmar since 1962 and critics have noted that the talks so far have resulted in a draft that includes a continued leadership role for the country's army, the [...]

Saddam Hussein was again thrown out of court during his trial on genocide charges Tuesday after he tried to speak into the microphone during court proceedings. Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa immediately turned off the microphone and ordered bailiffs to remove Hussein from the courtroom. Hussein has been thrown out of the genocide trial on [...]

The US delivered a list of proposed sanctions against North Korea (DPRK) to the UN Security Council Monday at a meeting to discuss North Korea's reported underground nuclear testing . The US proposed a wide range of sanctions, including freezing all assets given to North Korea for its weapons and missile programs, halting the trade [...]

The Mississippi American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Monday challenging a list of felony crimes which prevent convicted individuals from voting in the state. The lawsuit was filed against the offices of the Mississippi Secretary of State and the Mississippi Attorney General on behalf of two state residents. Ten crimes were originally listed [...]

Mexico may ask the UN to intervene in a brewing border fence dispute with the United States, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said Monday. Legal experts are investigating the legality of the US Secure Fence Act of 2006 before asking the UN to intervene. Dobez said it was a "shame" the US government was [...]

An April trial date has been set for former Cabinet Office spokesman David Keogh and former parliamentary researcher Leo O'Connor, accused of violating Section 3 of Britain's Official Secrets Act by leaking a secret memo in which President Bush was said to have told Prime Minister Tony Blair in April 2004 of a plan to [...]