Rompilla v. Beard, Supreme Court of the United States, June 20, 2005 . Excerpt from the Opinion by Justice Souter: We hold that even when a capital defendant's family members and the defendant himself have suggested that no mitigating evidence is available, his lawyer is bound to make reasonable efforts to obtain and review material [...]

In two related cases, the US Supreme Court ruled Monday that states are permitted to impose registration fees on trucks and other commercial vehicles that travel at least part of the time on a state's roadways. Read the Court's opinion in American Trucking v. Michigan Public Service Commission and the opinion in Mid-Con Freight Systems [...]

In an article published Monday in GQ magazine, young US soldiers given the job of guarding former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein say they found him to be friendly, talkative, and a "clean freak." Three soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard provided details such as what snacks and breakfast cereals the incarcerated former Iraqi leader prefers [...]

A partial recount of votes in last Friday's Iran presidential election was ordered by Iranian electoral authorities Monday after reformist candidates accused military organizations of rigging the first round of voting . The close first election resulted in a run-off election planned for June 24 between former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani , and his surprise [...]

A spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecution Authority announced Monday that former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma will be charged with two counts of corruption. After one of Zuma's advisors, South African businessman Schabir Shaik was found guilty on charges of corruption and fraud, President Thabo Mbeki fired Zuma from his post last week [...]

Human rights watchdog group Amnesty International released a new report Monday detailing and assailing the UK's detention of asylum seekers, which it said is "inappropriate, unnecessary, disproportionate and, therefore, unlawful" and has led to mental illness and even suicide attempts. The report concludes that in 2003 the UK detained 27,000 potential refugees in jail-like conditions. [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in a 5-4 decision that public defenders had wrongfully failed to review records showing evidence of mental retardation and a troubled childhood in the case of Pennsylvania death row inmate Ronald Rompilla. In the second death row sentence overturned in as many weeks, the Court found that a defendant's [...]

The CEO of CardSystems Solutions Inc. , the corporation responsible for a security breach that may have left up to 40 million credit card owners vulnerable to credit card fraud and identity theft, said Monday that the data stolen was improperly kept and that the records should not have been retained. The files were being [...]

Two reformist newspapers in Iran have been banned after publishing a letter from defeated opposition candidate Mehdi Karoubi claiming the first round of presidential elections was rigged . The Aftab Daily and the Eghbal Daily, the newspaper of the main reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front , are both unsure whether the ban applies [...]

Ten men have gone to trial so far in Sudan on charges of rape and robbery in the troubled Darfur region , according to the head of Sudan's special court , which began proceedings last Saturday. The Sudanese court was formed by the national Sudanese government after the UN Security Council asked the International Criminal [...]