A criminal court in Kuwait on Monday sentenced a woman to 11 years in prison for remarks she made on Twitter . Huda Al-Ajmi was found guilty of three violations, including insulting the nation’s ruler, Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah , calling to overthrow the government and misusing her mobile phone. The 11-year [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Monday dismissed a suit against Monsanto challenging its patents on genetically modified seeds. The suit was filed by farmers that have no desire to sow the genetically modified seeds as a preemptive action against Monsanto, which has a lengthy history of bringing action against farmers [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in an appeal from two US citizens who were detained and tortured by US forces in Iraq. In Vance v. Rumsfeld , the court was asked to consider whether federal courts may entertain damages claims brought by US civilians who have been tortured by the US military, [...]
The UK Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) , an independent public body that investigates miscarriages of justice, warned on Monday that the government’s proposed changes to legal aid could increase the likelihood of convictions of vulnerable or mentally ill suspects. With a mind towards reduce the costs of legal aid, on April 9 Ministry of [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday in Peugh v. United States that there is an ex post facto violation when a defendant is sentenced under US Sentencing Guidelines promulgated after he committed his criminal acts and the new version provides a higher applicable Guidelines sentencing range than the version in place at the time [...]
Several US lawmakers called Sunday for a review of the government’s surveillance activity in light of recent reports revealing phone and Internet monitoring. Lawmakers have also called for a criminal investigation into the activities of Edward Snowden, who came forward on Sunday as the whistleblower in the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance scandal. Snowden is [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday in Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter that an arbitrator did not exceed his powers under §10(a)(4) of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) when he found that the parties’ contract provided for class arbitration. Respondent John Sutter, a pediatrician, entered into a contract with petitioner Oxford Health Plans, [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday in Horne v. Department of Agriculture that the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction to review petitioners’ takings claim. The Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 (AMAA) and the California Raisin Marketing Order require raisin growers to turn over a percentage of their crop [...]
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai demanded Saturday that all prisoners of war held by UK forces at Bagram Airfield be released into Afghan custody. The estimated number of detainees is more than 80. Karzai’s spokesperson, Aimal Faizi, confirmed that Karzai instructed National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta to ask the British Embassy in Kabul to hand [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in BG Group PLC v. Republic of Argentina to decide whether a court or the arbitrator determines if a precondition to arbitration has been satisfied in disputes involving a multi-staged dispute resolution process. The case involves a Bilateral Investment Treaty between the UK and Argentina, signed into [...]
