As part of a probe into the Hurricane Katrina disaster the US Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee has asked Gulf Coast federal prosecutors whether they have ever had to defend the US Army Corps of Engineers against claims brought by environmental groups trying to block Corps work on the levees protecting New Orleans. Acting [...]

The New Orleans-based federal judge charged with co-ordinating the approximately 1800 pending federal lawsuits relating to the withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx from pharmacists' shelves last year has ruled that the first federal trial against Vioxx-manufacturer Merck will take place in Houston beginning November 28. US District Judge Eldon Fallon evacuated to Houston earlier this [...]

A federal judge in Missouri Friday slapped a temporary restraining order on a law signed the day before by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt that allowed parents to file suit against anyone who helped their minor daughters get abortions without their consent. US District Judge Nanette Laughery said the legislation "threatens an immediate chilling effect on [...]

With the confirmation hearings on Judge John Roberts concluded and the nominee apparently well on his way to a favorable Senate vote and formal appointment as the new Chief Justice of the United States, President Bush Friday signaled he was turning his attention to a second high court vacancy by calling in Senate leaders for [...]

Leading Friday's corporations and securities law news, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has formally set out its plans to alleviate corporate financial strain caused by Hurricane Katrina . In a press release, the agency announced that it will extend various filing deadlines for corporations affected by the hurricane. The agency's order also exempts corporations [...]

The UN General Assembly High-level Plenary Friday evening approved a watered-down 35-page package of modest institutional reforms and global policy initiatives in the culminating moment of the biggest summit of heads of state and government in UN history. Progress was made in condemning terrorism in all its forms, accepting clear responsibility to protect populations from [...]

Newspaper publishing giant Hollinger International Inc. announced Friday that it had reached a $20 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by advertisers over claims that it inflated circulation figures for the Chicago Sun-Times . Under the settlement reached after six months of negotiations, Hollinger will pay $7.7 million in cash and $5.6 million in [...]

A US district judge Friday ordered mediation in a civil suit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission against former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy , raising the possibility of settlement in the $800 million suit . US District Judge Inge Johnson said in a short order that mediation was appropriate since it had been [...]

Leading Friday's states brief, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled today that a one-room religious school must comply with health and plumbing regulations even if doing so would infringe on their sectarian beliefs. The school was closed by the Todd County Health Department after the department determined the school did not have a proper water [...]

Police in Nepal Friday arrested 87 journalists protesting restrictions placed on the media since King Gyanendra seized power in February. Police also arrested 200 other protestors at a pro-democracy demonstration in Kathmandu attended by thousands. Protests have continued throughout the country since King Gyanendra lifted a state of emergency but left heavy restrictions on the [...]