Wisconsin’s 4th District Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state’s domestic partnership registry does not infringe on the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Plaintiff Wisconsin Family Action challenged the Domestic Partnership Registry as unconstitutional pursuant to the Marriage Amendment to Wisconsin’s Constitution , which provides, “Only a marriage between one man and one woman [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that trial court judges may determine on a case-by-case basis whether a Muslim woman should be required to remove her niqab while testifying in court. The split-decision upholds the ruling of the Court of Appeal for Ontario . The Supreme Court sought to strike a balance between an [...]
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) in Syria released its latest periodic update on Thursday, finding persistent violence and human rights abuses. The update covers the period of September 28, when the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution extending the COI’s mission, until December 16. According to the update: The unrelenting violence [...]
Peter Madoff , brother of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for his role in Bernard Madoff’s multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme. He pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, tax fraud, mail fraud and falsifying records of an investment adviser. US Attorney Preet Bharara said: Peter [...]
An Argentine court on Thursday sentenced former Interior Minister Jaime Smart to life in prison for crimes against humanity during the nation’s 1976-1983 “Dirty War” . Smart is the first civilian minister to be convicted for “Dirty War” crimes, although other civilians and police officers have been convicted in previous proceedings. Smart was specifically convicted [...]
Senegal’s national assembly adopted a law on Wednesday that will allow Senegal to create a special tribunal to try Chad’s former dictator Hissene Habre . The law allows Senegal President Macky Sall to ratifying an accord made in August with the African Union (AU) that will create the tribunal. The accord calls for “Extraordinary African [...]
A report released Tuesday by the French government has recommended that the country permit doctors to “accelerate death” for terminally ill patients seeking doctor-assisted euthanasia. The report will be sent to the National Order of Physicians , France’s national council on medical ethics, which will determine the situations in which it would be appropriate for [...]
The Moscow City Court commuted the sentences of jailed Russian oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev Thursday from 13 years to 11 years. Both are now eligible for release in 2014 , with Lebedev expected to be released in August and Khodorkovsky in October. Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are each serving prison [...]
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Thursday convicted former Rwandan minister Augustin Ngirabatware , sentencing him to 35 years in prison and concluding the tribunal’s final trial. Ngirabatware was found guilty on charges of genocide, incitement to commit genocide and rape as a crime against humanity. ICTR Chief Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow issued [...]
Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake on Wednesday appealed the findings of a parliamentary committee which concluded she was guilty of three charges of misconduct. Bandaranayake claims she was not given an adequate opportunity to defend herself against the charges. She is asking the Court of Appeal to declare the committee’s findings illegal and order [...]
