Democratic Sen. Thomas Carper , of Delaware, has placed a hold on the nomination of Stephen Johnson as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency . A spokesman for Carper said Thursday that the senator would exercise his power to block the nomination. All senators have the power to place a hold on a confirmation vote [...]

AP is reporting that the Oregon Supreme Court has nullified 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples last year. The decision reverses a court of appeals decision upholding the licenses. Oregon voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in the state in the November 2004 election, but the marriage licenses at issue in the [...]

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia warned former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic Thursday that he must speed up his attempt to call world leaders, including former President Bill Clinton, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, to testify at his war crimes trial. Milosevic has indicated that he would like [...]

Leading Thursday corporations and securities law news, ex-Enron Chairman Ken Lay filed a motion with US District Court Judge Sim Lake asking for his trial on personal bank charges be moved to next year. Lay opposes the prosecutors with the Enron Task Force proposal for the trial to start in May or June. Prosecutors had [...]

US District Judge Edward R. Korman Wednesday approved a $21.9 million award to heirs of families whose bank holdings were allegedly concealed and stolen by Swiss banks looking to gain favor with invading Nazis. Holocaust survivors and their families had sued several Swiss banks and accused them of stealing, concealing or sending hundreds of millions [...]

Leading Thursday's international brief, King Gyanendra of Nepal has announced that municipal elections will be held within a year to restore the nation to a truly democratic state. Gyanendra, speaking at the Nepalese New Year festival, said that the work of the security forces of Nepal in combating the 'menace of terrorism' and protecting the [...]

In Thursday's environmental law news, the Canadian government has revealed its plan to reduce greenhouse emissions in accordance with the Kyoto protocol. The plan, called Project Green, aims at reducing Canada's greenhouse emissions by 270 megatonnes a year by 2012. Critics say the plan is too costly and may not necessarily result in cleaner air [...]

Following the state Senate's passage of a similar bill last week, the Connecticut House passed legislation 80-67 late Wednesday allowing same-sex civil unions but adding an amendment specifically defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In a statement , Gov. M. Jodi Rell approved of the passage and called the bill [...]

AP is reporting that a Texas businessman and citizens of Bulgaria and Britain have been indicted in connection with the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program scandal according to US Attorney David N. Kelley . Kelley has scheduled a late-morning news conference to announce the unsealing of the indictment, which includes two companies operated by the Texan. [...]

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay apologized Wednesday for saying federal judges are "responsible" for the death of Terri Schiavo and reiterated his belief in the importance of an independent judiciary. DeLay has nonetheless asked the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the judges who declined to order Schiavo's feeding tube be reinserted for and indicated the [...]