The Washington Office of the Secretary of State on Monday released the names of 137,500 people who signed petitions for Referendum 71 (R-71), opposing domestic partnerships, after a federal judge lifted the injunction and granted summary judgment to defendants. In Doe #1 v. Reed, the judge held that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that a [...]
The UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced Tuesday that the trial of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders will begin on Monday, November 21. The prosecution will have two days for opening statements followed by half a day of opening statements for the defense. The first segment of the trial is expected [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday ruled that, under European law, a patent cannot be issued for any process which involves removing a stem cell from and then destroying a human embryo. The case stems from a German patent filed by Oliver Brustle who invented a method for converting human embryonic stem cells [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina heard arguments Monday on the constitutionality of North Carolina’s controversial new abortion law . The lawsuit , brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other human rights groups, contests the provision requiring abortion providers to show women ultrasounds prior [...]
The Israel Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals to halt the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. The petitions arguing against the release of more than 1,000 jailed Palestinians in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit were filed by four families of the victims of the prisoners set to [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Gulnara Shahinian on Monday said that the Lebanese government must create more legal protections for some 200,000 domestic workers in the country. Without more regulations, Shahinian said, some could be forced into domestic servitude and be subject to physical and psychological abuse. “I met with women who [...]
A judge for the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on Monday asked that the Trial Chamber initiate proceedings in absentia for four wanted suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri . Pre-trial Judge Daniel Fransen , in accordance with STL rules, waited 30 calendar days after public announcement [...]
A group of rights organizations and lawmakers on Monday called for Australia to investigate a top ranking official in the Sri Lankan High Commission in Canberra for war crimes violations allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan Navy during clashes with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. The call to investigate comes after [...]
The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris on Friday ordered French Internet service providers to block access to Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F, a website designed to allow civilians to post videos of alleged police misconduct. The decision was applauded by the police union, Alliance Police Nationale (APN) , which argued that the website incited violence [...]
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari Monday in four cases. In Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum , the court will determine whether three oil companies are immune from US lawsuits under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789 for torture and international law violations that took place overseas. In a similar case, Mohamad v. Rajoub , [...]
