A Missouri circuit court judge ruled Thursday that the state's child abuse registry is unconstitutional because it does not allow alleged abusers a due-process hearing before being placed on the list. The registry is not available to the general public, but child care facilities and other employers can use the list to screen current and [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday to strike down a California law making it a criminal offense for individuals to knowingly make false accusations against police officers. The law, which carried a potential jail sentence of up to six months for guilty parties, was implemented in 1995 after the 1991 [...]

An Act to Protect Private Property Rights, passed in the US House of Representatives, November 3, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Probation and Parole in 2004, United States Department of Justice, November 3, 2005 . Read the full text of the report . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Second and Third Periodic Report of the United States of America to the UN Committee on Human Rights Concerning the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, US Department of State, submitted October 21, 2005 . Read the full text of the report. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005, introduced in the Australian House of Representatives by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, November 3, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill as introcduced . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

In a 376-38 vote late Thursday, the US House of Representatives approved a bill that would strip state and local governments of federal funding if they use eminent domain to transfer privately owned land to commercial interests. The Senate approved a similar measure last month. The US Supreme Court drew widespread critical attention to eminent [...]

The US State Department Thursday posted online a report submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva last month in which the US argued for indefinitely detaining suspected combatants in the war on terror. The report relied in part upon the 2004 Supreme Court decision Hamdi v. Rumsfield , saying: The United States [...]

US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Thursday that a second UN Security Council resolution would be required to ensure that Syria has fully withdrawn all intelligence personnel from Lebanon. His comments followed Wednesday's UN Security Council consultation where special UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen announced that Syria had fully withdrawn its troops from Lebanon [...]

AP is reporting that US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has announced that confirmation hearings for US Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito will start January 9, 2006. Earlier this week Democrats called for January hearings on Alito, insisting that there was just not enough time to give his extensive judicial record appropriate review [...]