Iraq's new presidential council , formally sworn-in on Thursday, has named Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari as interim prime minister replacing outgoing interim PM Iyad Allawi . The long-awaited announcement gives Iraq its first democratically elected government. Al-Jaafari now has two weeks to name a cabinet, which has seen ongoing negotiations. The primary task of the [...]

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the much-criticized UN Commission on Human Rights Thursday that its declining credibility had "cast a shadow" over the whole United Nations and that the institution needed to frame a new permanent human rights body to prevent and more effectively address worldwide abuses and suffering. Established 60 years ago, the current [...]

An Act Concerning Marriage Equality, passed in the Connecticut Senate April 6, 2005 . Read the full text of the legislation. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan Wednesday ruled that the Department of Defense (DOD) can give troops anthrax vaccinations on a voluntary basis. The ruling comes after Sullivan halted mandatory shots last October in response to a lawsuit brought by six unnamed military personnel and civilian workers who objected to the mandatory vaccination. The October [...]

The Connecticut Senate approved legislation Wednesday recognizing civil unions between same-sex couples, becoming the first state legislature to voluntarily recognize the unions without court pressure. Vermont also recognizes civil unions, but did so only after a lawsuit was brought by same-sex couples. An Act Concerning Marriage Equality was passed 27-9; it gives same-sex couples many [...]

JURIST Guest Columnist Paul Goda S.J. of Santa Clara University School of Law says that Pope John Paul II articulated a larger vision of law and freedom founded on respect for human life and dignity that transcends modern Western legalistic definitions… I have been asked to write an op-ed on what might be called the [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Thursday, April 7. The US Senate convenes at 10 AM ET today. Watch a live webcast of the session. The US House is not in session today. The Judeo-Christian Council on Constitutional Restoration will hold a forum on social reform [...]

SB 436, An act relating to the protection of persons and property, passed by the Floroda Senate and the Florida House April 5, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

A Chilean appeals court Wednesday upheld a $5 million asset freeze of former president Augusto Pinochet . A bid by Pinochet's lawyers to have the judge, Sergio Munoz, removed because of bias was also rejected. Pinochet is currently being investigated for tax evasion and misappropriation of public funds after a 2004 US Senate report exposed [...]

According to a rankings released Wednesday, the top 50 US law firms achieved double-digit growth in turnover and profits in 2004. The rankings, performed by Legal Week magazine , show that these firms have pulled in $33 billion in fees with average partner profits topping $1.2 million. The Legal Week report showed that the best-performing [...]