The Vatican Thursday released the will and spiritual testament of Pope John Paul II . In the 15 page document the Pope left no material property and asked that all his personal notes be burned. The will, translated from the Pope's native Polish and written over the course of his 26-year pontificate, also shows that [...]

France's Foreign Minister Michel Barnier warned a 'no' vote in France's referendum on the European constitution will kill the treaty and create a crisis at the European Union . Recent polls in France have suggested voters will reject the constitution, something Barnier blames on confusion over the treaty, fears over globalisation, fears of Turkey's admission [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit hears arguments Thursday on the legality of military commission trials of terror suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base . Last November, US District Judge James Robertson ordered military commissions to come to a halt , saying their procedures were unlawful. The government counters that [...]

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 [...]