US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) , chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monday defended his proposal to subject the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court , saying that the court is well suited to consider the program because of its "expertise" and because "Its closed proceedings and [...]

Native Americans participating in the ten-year-old Indian Trust case involving the alleged mismanagement of American Indian money by the US Department of the Interior have indicated they may be willing to settle their lawsuit for $8 billion. The $8 billion offer is much lower than the $27.5 billion figure that the plaintiffs demanded for settlement [...]

The UN Security Council on Monday called for renewed efforts to protect children in areas of armed conflict to build on progress in implementing Resolution 1612 , which requires international monitoring of children's rights in seven areas of armed conflict. Though the resolution, adopted unanimously last July, has already produced results, the Council expressed concern [...]

Thailand's criminal court on Tuesday sentenced three members of the Election Commission of Thailand to four years in jail for violating election law in connection with arrangements for the April parliamentary election . The results of that election have since been annulled by the nation's highest courts. The three election commissioners – Vasana Puemlarp, Prinya [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Dr. Robbie Sabel of the Hebrew University Faculty of Law in Jerusalem, Israel, says that many of the international law issues in the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah come down to matters of common sense… As in most aspects of law, one should look for the rule of common sense, and [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Daniel Steinbock of the University of Toledo College of Law says that although watch lists may play a useful role in a broader terrorism prevention, their operation and consequences should be restricted and controlled in recognition of their limitations…. Most of us won’t notice it, but taking a flight or crossing a [...]

US Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) announced plans Monday to introduce legislation that will give Congress the power to file court challenges against presidential bill signing statements in order to have the signing statement declared unconstitutional. Specter's comments came on the same day that an American Bar Association Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements [...]

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud accused Israel Monday of using incendiary phosphorous bombs against Lebanese civilians in violation of international standards, and urged the United Nations to call for an immediate ceasefire. Lahoud, considered to be pro-Syrian, said Israel's use of the bombs is in violation of the Geneva Conventions , but a military spokesperson in [...]

"Your confessions are ready for you to sign": Detention and torture of political suspects in Jordan, Amnesty International, July 24, 2006 . Read the full text of the report. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) filed a lawsuit Monday against the Bush administration, alleging that the US government failed to fulfill its obligations to protect US citizens in Lebanon when the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began earlier this month. The suit was filed on behalf of over 30 Lebanese-Americans who have either escaped Lebanon [...]