The Palestinian parliament overwhelmingly approved Thursday a new Cabinet made up primarily of professionals rather than politicians. Of the 24 members of the Cabinet, 17 are new, marking a departure from the Yasser Arafat era. The approval came after Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei withdrew his initial list of nominees due to criticism that those on [...]

Citing a Government Accountability Office study, several lawmakers Thursday called for an end to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuals. The report , released Wednesday, indicated that the policy has hurt recruiting and retainment as the war in Iraq has drained resources. Specifically, the report stated that the Department of Defense spent [...]

The US Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of Utah's so-called hate-crimes statute. The law, passed in 1992, differs from most other hate-crimes prohibitions because it does not protect an enumerated class of victims. Attempts to broaden the statute's application by specifically identifying classes of victims have repeatedly failed in the Utah legislature. [...]

In re: Yukos Oil Company, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Judge Letitia Clark, February 24, 2005. Read the full text of the memorandum opinion and accompanying judgment . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Friday, Feb. 25. The US Senate and US House are in recess this week. Both will resume their sessions on Feb. 28. The Brookings Institution is holding a forum titled "Darfur, War Crimes, the International Criminal Court, and the Quest [...]

New York Times Co. v. Gonzales, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Robert Sweet, February 24, 2005 . Excerpt: The Court has balanced the interests of the free press and the government under these facts and authorities. That balance requires maintaining the secrecy of the confidential sources of Miller [...]

A US judge on Thursday dismissed the bankruptcy case of Russian oil giant Yukos, saying that the matter should be decided in a forum allowing for involvement by the Russian government. Yukos claims that it was the victim of a Russian government-orchestrated plot to destroy it, and the company has been trying to bring the [...]

Attorneys for Ahmed Omar Abu Ali claim that he should be released from jail pending trial on charges that he plotted to assassinate President Bush and aided the Al-Qaeda terror network because Abu Ali lacks a criminal record and he has battled to return to the US since his arrest in Saudi Arabia two years [...]

A Mississippi judge delayed Thursday the murder trial of a reputed Ku Klux Klansman who is charged with the notorious Mississippi Burning killings of 1964 due to scheduling conflicts and the desire to allow defense attorneys to review recent tips received related to the case. Edgar Ray Killen , 80, is alleged to be the [...]

A New York Supreme Court judge dealt a blow to same-sex couples seeking the right to marry on Thursday, upholding the state's stance that the extension of marriage rights is a matter for the state legislature rather than the courts to decide. Last year in Ithaca , 25 same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses, supported [...]