The Supreme Court of Honduras held Thursday that the Supreme Electoral Court violated two constitutional provisions in June when it opened the door for religious figures to run for public office. The constitutional ban for political activity by religious leaders is stated in the 1982 Honduran Constitution and is based on a 1830 announcement by [...]

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Thursday that the issue of whether to repeal the state's newly enacted gay rights law has qualified for the November state ballot. The proposed "Act to Extend Civil Rights Protections to All People Regardless of Sexual Orientation" adds the term "sexual orientation" to the classes already protected under [...]

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Thursday praised the Iraqi Special Tribunal , a court created to try Saddam Hussein and his allies, and vowed to protect members from purges because of their earlier roles in the Baath party. Talabani made the promise during a meeting with one of the Tribunal's judges, Raid Juhi, who faces [...]

Washington-based Alliance for Justice has urged an investigation of Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) , chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, claiming he violated ethics rules by trying to influence an appeals court decision in Chicago. Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, made the request in a letter dated Wednesday to the Chairman of the [...]

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) responded Thursday to documents US Supreme Court nominee John Roberts produced while working at the Justice Department and White House counsel's office during the Reagan administration, stating they "certainly raise some questions in my mind about his commitment" to civil rights. Specifically, Kennedy commented that Roberts has a "rather cramped view" [...]

Report to the Secretary-General of the Commission of Experts to Review the Prosecution of Serious Violations of Human Rights in Timor-Leste (then East Timor) in 1999, United Nations, released July 27, 2005 . Read the full text of the report here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is revisiting the recommendation it gave for US Supreme Court nominee John Roberts when he was nominated for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in 2001 to determine if it will suffice as a stricter Supreme Court recommendation. The ABA's process includes interviewing more that 1,000 individuals [...]

The UK-based Muslim Safety Forum (MSF) said Thursday that Muslim groups are reporting that attacks on religious minorities and Asians have grown over 500 percent since the London bombings on July 7 and July 21 . Over 230 religious crimes have been reported to London police since the bombings and an MSF spokesperson said the [...]

The leader of the Texas Minuteman Civil Defense Corps , the volunteer illegal immigration patrol, resigned Thursday after accusing members in the city of Goliad of being racist. Bill Parmley had been organizing a plan to uncover illegals in Houston and other Texas areas this October, but was also working to ensure that the Hispanic [...]

The committee drafting the Iraqi constitution has until Monday to request an extension if necessary and members will meet that day to decide the issue, according to a committee spokesman. The final constitution is actually not due until August 15, but the deadline of August 1 to request a six-month extension may prove material as [...]