KGW in Portland, Oregon, is reporting that a federal judge has just struck down Nebraska's ban on gay marriage, ruling that it interferes with the rights of gay couples and also with those of foster parents, adopted children and people in many other living circumstances. 5:41 PM ET – The Nebraska ban was enacted in [...]

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted 10-8 to send John Bolton's nomination for US ambassador to the UN to the full Senate, but without committee endorsement. The move follows a refusal earlier today by Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich to support Bolton's nomination as had been expected. 3:45 PM ET – The White [...]

Jordan's King Abdullah announced Thursday that he was willing to review the 1992 conviction of Ahmad Chalabi , sentenced in absentia by a Jordanian court to 22 years of hard labor for embezzling funds from Petra Bank, which Chalabi founded during a long residence in Jordan. The bank's 1989 collapse shook up Jordan's financial system. [...]

A bill approved by Estonian lawmakers Thursday authorized Internet voting for local elections in the country's capital, Tallinn, scheduled for October. The bill, initiated by the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu , Estonia's parliament, will require voters to have an electronic ID card, an ID-card reader, and Internet access. Estonia is said to have [...]

Spc. Sabrina Harman , the latest US soldier to stand trial for involvement in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, pleaded not guilty to charges of abusing detainees in the military prison at the beginning of her trial Thursday. Harman has been charged with conspiracy, dereliction of duty and maltreatment of subordinates, and could face six [...]

Ocalan v. Turkey, Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, May 12, 2005 . Read the full text of the judgment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of William Pryor for the US Court of Appeals by a 10-8 party line vote Thursday. Pryor has a temporary place on the US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals under a recess appointment made after his nomination failed to pass the committee last year, but he will [...]

Ex-Merrill Lynch investment banker Robert Furst has been fined $565,000 and sentenced to 37 months in federal prison in connection with his role in the Enron scandal. Furst was convicted for setting up a fake deal with Enron in 1999 to boost that company's earnings. Another former Merrill Bank executive had previously been sentenced to [...]

A US sailor who turned against the Iraq war was convicted Wednesday during a special court-martial for failing to report for duty in the Persian Gulf in December. Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes was found guilty by a military judge for missing movement, but not on a second count of unauthorized absence. Paredes faces [...]

GOP Senator George Voinovich surprised observers Thursday when he told colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he will not support the nomination of John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations , although he said he would allow the nomination to go forward to the full Senate. Voinovich, who also balked at [...]