Jonathan Hafetz : "On October 19, 2006, the district court (Lamberth, J.) dismissed the habeas petition of Mohammed Munaf, the American citizen detained in Iraq by the United States and sentenced to death by an Iraqi criminal court on October 12, 2006. The district court ruled in Mohammed v. Harvey that it lacked jurisdiction because [...]

Trevor Phillips , chairman of the UK Commission for Racial Equality , warned Sunday that if communication about social differences does not improve in Britain, riots could erupt there in the wake of a religious dress debate prompted by comments from House of Commons leader Jack Straw and the suspension of a Muslim UK teacher [...]

UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel has submitted a final draft to the Lebanese government and the UN Security Council of a plans to establish an international tribunal to investigate the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri , according to an unnamed source, who noted that the Security Council could approve the draft by [...]

Conservative radio commentator Armstrong Williams has agreed to pay the US Department of Education $34,000 after a year-long investigation of the commentator's agreement to endorse President Bush's education policies, a Department spokesperson confirmed Sunday. Williams has admitted no wrongdoing, but the Justice Department determined that Williams was overpaid for his contracted work. In 2003, the [...]

An Israeli Cabinet official admitted for the first time Sunday that Israel employed phosphorous bombs against Hezbollah guerillas during this summer's conflict in Lebanon . Israeli Cabinet Minister Jacob Edery confirmed that the weapons were used during combat and not just for target marking, as had previously been asserted. The use of incendiary weapons against [...]

Thailand Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Sunday that a decision to lift martial law in Thailand must be made prudently and in close consultation with security officials, given continuing efforts in some quarters to undermine the new government that took power after a military coup on September 19 . Chulanont promised on October 10 that [...]

Britain's top judge has said that disregarding human rights will only breed resentment among immigrants to the UK and fuel support for terrorist efforts. In an address delivered late last week at the University of Hertfordshire, Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips endorsed the increasingly-controversial Human Rights Act , and stressed that the judiciary was not [...]

Israel's Supreme Court has demanded that Israeli President Moshe Katsav explain within a week why he has not resigned or suspended his functions while facing a possible indictment for rape, sexual harassment, wire-tapping, and other charges , according to Israeli media reports Sunday. The court also urged Israeli Attorney General Menahem Mazuz to quickly decide [...]

California state corrections officials say that an emergency proclamation by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aimed at relieving prison overcrowding by transferring prisoners to out-of-state facilities is set for implementation next month. The program, intending to reduce the overcrowding of 172,000 inmates in facilities designed for about 100,000, is intended to relieve the California Department of Corrections [...]

Arizona v. Gonzalez, US Supreme Court, October 19, 2006 . Read the full text of the ruling . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.