The Supreme Court of Oregon has ruled that juries may retroactively resentence as many as 300-400 criminal defendants based on aggravating circumstances, such as the use of a gun, breach of trust, or racial motivation. In three decisions released Friday – State v. Upton , State v. Sawatzky , and State v. Heilman – the [...]
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A spokesperson for the UN commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri announced Monday that the commission will request interrogations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa . The commission is also seeking to question former Vice President Abdel al-Halim Khaddam , whose televised statements last week implicating [...]
Five Muslim militants went on trial Monday in Indonesia for allegedly having protected members of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah , the group responsible for several recent terrorist incidents, including the 2002 and October 1, 2005 Bali bombings and a 2004 bombing of the US embassy in Jakarta. All five militants face the death penalty if [...]
Ugandan opposition leader and presidential challenger Dr. Kizza Besigye , who has been imprisoned since November on charges of treason and rape was released on bail Monday by the Ugandan High Court. Uganda's military court, which previously declared itself unbound by High Court decisions, had extended Besigye's warrant to keep him in jail on additional [...]
In his New Year message , Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian promised Sunday to support a new Taiwanese constitution in his last two years of presidency. A new constitution would have to be approved by the legislature before sent to the public for a referendum. Chen's comments come in the face of warnings from China and [...]
2005 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts, January 1, 2006. Read the full text of the report here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts released his first year-end report on the federal judiciary Sunday, one of his duties as the highest judicial officer in the country. After acknowledging the need to ensure the safety of all courtrooms following the high-profile killings of a Georgia state judge and a federal district judge's [...]
One day after the Syrian parliament demanded that former Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam be tried for treason and corruption, the country's ruling Baath party decided Sunday to expel Khaddam from the party after he accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of threatening the life of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri during a meeting in [...]
President Bush on Sunday defended the NSA warrantless surveillance program , saying the program was "limited" and was not a violation of civil liberties. Answering questions about the program during a visit to wounded troops at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Bush also said that officials only wiretapped conversations that involved [...]
Many new state laws took effect on Sunday, including measures to safeguard against child sex offenders and the misuse of personal information. Michigan strengthened its sex offender laws, and Illinois banned human trafficking, allowing state law enforcement to prosecute such crimes. Louisiana and Michigan now require companies to notify state residents when they believe personal [...]
