The US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has ruled ruled that a plaintiff is permitted to bring a class-action lawsuit against a carpet manufacturer under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970 (RICO) . The plaintiff claims that Mohawk Industries knowingly hired illegal aliens and assisted them in evading immigration officials [...]

Amnesty International accused Pakistan Friday of committing numerous human rights violations in support of the US-led "war on terror," including arresting terror suspects and holding them in secret locations until they can be sold to US authorities for bounties . In its latest report it claims that many suspects arrested in Pakistan are transferred to [...]

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that it was "deeply worried" about the proposed construction of a 700-mile border fence between the US and Mexico, fearing it would "increase tension in border communities." Mexico reiterated the need for a comprehensive immigration strategy, arguing that this security-focused measure was simply a political answer. The department [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Robert Albritton of the University of Mississippi says the recent overthrow of Thailand's elected government by unconstitutional means reflects a disconcerting failure of mass democracy in the country in the face of opposition from critical elites… For forms of government let fools contest; that which is best administered is best. These words [...]

A brother-in-law of the new chief judge in the Saddam Hussein genocide trial was shot and killed Friday in Baghdad. His nephew was seriously wounded in the same attack. Police were not certain whether the attack was a result of Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa's position on the Iraqi High Tribunal, but sources familiar with court [...]

The US House of Representatives passed the Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act Thursday night, voting 232-191 mostly along party lines. The bill, approved by the House Judiciary Committee last week, specifies when and how the president can order the use of warrantless surveillance . Under the legislation, warrantless surveillance would be justified following an "armed attack" [...]

Brian J. Foley : "This week's legislation limiting the rights of 'detainees' to challenge the Executive's exercise (and abuse) of power over them also strips Americans of our ability to oversee the Executive. When it's easy for the Executive to 'win' its cases against these prisoners, and to prevent prisoners from challenging their detention in [...]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. et al. v. Intel Corporation et al., United States District Court for the District of Delaware, Judge Joseph Farnan, September 26, 2006 . Read the full text of the opinion . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Senate approved its version of the military commissions bill in a 65-34 vote late Thursday after narrowly rejecting several amendments, including one sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) which would have eliminated a highly-controversial provision stripping detainees of the right to file habeas corpus petitions in federal court. The [...]

Members of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee lambasted executives of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation Thursday for their role in a corporate espionage scandal and demanded to know why company executives and attorneys did not put a stop to the program. In a special hearing committee members grilled the executives seeking answers to how controversial [...]