Paul Volcker, chairman of an independent commission probing the now defunct UN oil-for-food program , blamed lapses at the UN on a "systemic problem" and said he found only "limited" corruption during his testimony Monday to the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations . Last week, Volcker's panel issued a report [...]

US military investigating officer Col. Patrick Reinhert on Tuesday recommended a court-martial for Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez, a National Guard soldier charged with killing two of his superiors in Iraq . Col. Reinhert also noted that capital punishment could be an option for Martinez due to aggravating factors. During Martinez's Article 32 hearing , [...]

Kane v. Esipita, United States Supreme Court, October 28, 2005 . Read the full text of the opinon here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Monday released the final draft of rules requiring certain insurance companies to launch anti-money laundering campaigns to frustrate efforts of terrorist groups. The rules, which also define which insurers will be subject to the requirements, are mandated by the federal Bank Secrecy Act as amended by the [...]

Yigal Amir , who was convicted of assassinating former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ten years ago this November, may demand a re-trial. According to his wife in an interview on Israeli Army Radio, Amir believes that though he did try to kill Rabin, the fatal shot was fired by a second shooter, and that [...]

Three UN human rights experts who were invited last Friday by the Pentagon to examine conditions at Guantanamo Bay prison said Monday that they will refuse the invitation unless they are allowed to interview detainees. The Pentagon said Friday that the experts would not be speaking with the 505 detainees because such interviews were the [...]

Resolution 1636 (2005), United Nations Security Council, October 31, 2005 . Read the full text of the resolution and a synopsis of member statements. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled in Kane v. Espitia that California inmate Joe Garcia Espitia isn't entitled to a new trial because he was denied virtually all access to a jail law library while representing himself in court. In an unsigned opinion , the Court reversed the US Court of Appeals for the [...]

Reaction from Capitol Hill Monday to President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the US Supreme Court seat left vacant by retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor has primarily focused on one issue: Alito's judicial views on abortion. In a statement Monday, Senate Minority Leader Harry [...]

At the urging of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the Bahrain Embassy in Washington has formally demanded that the US government promptly investigate charges of torture, abuse and other inhumane tactics being used against Bahraini prisoner Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif Al Dossary. Held for months at Guantanamo Bay , al Dossary claims he is [...]