Elizabeth Malloy, University of Cincinnati College of Law: "President Bush today selected Mike Leavitt, the current EPA Chief, to be the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. In making his selection, President Bush said that Leavitt is a "fine executive" and "a man of great compassion" and he further lauded Leavitt explaining that "He's [...]

A jury in Redwood City, California, has recommended that Scott Peterson be sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Laci and their unborn son Conner. Judge Alfred A. Delucchi will formally sentence Peterson on February 25. CourtTV provides background on the Peterson case. 5:10 PM ET – NBC-10 TV in Los Angeles has [...]

An Italian judge confirmed Monday that 28 Italian police officers will face trial in connection with violence against anti-globalization protestors at the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa. One protestor was killed and hundreds of protestors and police were injured in rioting . Senior officers are accused of lying, slander and complicity to commit violence. Twenty-six [...]

AP is reporting that jurors in the Scott Peterson trial have reached a decision on his sentence, which will be announced at 4:30 PM ET (1:30 PM PT).

A hearing by the US 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Monday on disputed ballots in the Puerto Rico gubernatorial race drew protestors calling for no federal intervention in the election. The 1st Circuit will decide whether Puerto Rico's Supreme Court (in Spanish) or a US district court in San Juan has jurisdiction over the case, [...]

President Bush nominated Environmental Protection Agency chief Mike Leavitt Monday to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Leavitt, a former three-term governor of Utah, stepped into the EPA role in 2003, and much of his work has focused on crafting new air pollution regulations. HHS oversees the Medicare and Medicaid [...]

Two more Afghan detainees have died while in US custody, and the US failed to properly investigate a third death this fall, Human Rights Watch charged Monday in an open letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. According to HRW's report, detainee deaths in 2002 and 2003 went unreported, and the agency claimed the US [...]

Douglas Berman, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University: "I am genuinely amazed that the Supreme Court has now issued 11 opinions this term, and yet we still have not seen a ruling in Booker and Fanfan. Perhaps it really is all my fault. I have previously highlighted here and here and here how many [...]

Activist groups Monday made a last-minute request for the Ohio Supreme Court to review the state's presidential election results as members of the Electoral College were scheduled to cast their votes in meetings in Ohio and across the country. The challengers, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Alliance for Democracy, claimed the results certified [...]

Cooper Industries v. Aviall Services, United States Supreme Court, December 13, 2004 . Read the opinion here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.