The Supreme Court of Mexico on Wednesday upheld a state right-to-life constitutional amendment that says life begins at conception. The amendment effectively bans abortions in Mexico’s northern Baja California state. Seven of 11 justices on the court, who argued that the issue was a federal and not state issue, voted to overturn the amendment, but [...]
A UK High Court judge ruled Wednesday that a brain-damaged woman in a “minimally conscious” state does not meet statutory requirements to allow her family to discontinue life-sustaining treatment. The woman, known as “M,” contracted viral encephalitis in February 2003, fell into a coma and subsequently emerged in what was later determined to be a [...]
Both the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and a group of 26 states filed petitions with the US Supreme Court Wednesday seeking a ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . The petitions for certiorari filed by the DOJ and states seek review of a decision handed down by [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled Tuesday that an Iraqi national can stand trial in US civilian court for terrorism-related crimes. Chief Judge Thomas Russell, in an 11-page opinion, rejected arguments made by Waad Ramadan Alwan that, under the Geneva Convention, he could only be prosecuted in [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit calling for the release of photographs taken shortly after Osama bin Laden’s death. Nonprofit organization Justice Watch filed a complaint against the Obama administration in May, claiming that the government violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by refusing to [...]
The Appeals Chamber for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Tuesday heard oral arguments in the case of Aloys Ntabakuze , a former Rwandan army officer convicted of genocide and related crimes. Ntabakuze appealed his December 2008 conviction, in which the Trial Chamber sentenced him to life imprisonment . Before a panel of [...]
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Tuesday heard oral arguments in the appeal of Dominique Ntawukulilyayo, the former Sub-Prefect of the southern region of Gisagara. The five judges composing the Appeals Chamber will decide whether the Trial Chamber committed a number of errors of law and fact, as alleged [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday extended a hold on the release of the video recordings of last year’s trial on the constitutionality of California’s same-sex marriage ban. In response to an emergency motion by proponents of the ban, the court granted a stay of US District Court Chief Judge [...]
The Australian Minister for Defence announced Tuesday that women may now work in any position within the Australian Defence Force (ADF), including combat roles. Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith cited the “long and proud history” of women serving in the ADF as one of the reasons underlying the removal of the gender restrictions, which had [...]
The trial of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko resumed on Tuesday after a two-week recess with prosecutors asking the court to sentence Tymoshenko to seven years in prison and bar her from holding public office. Tymoshenko is on trial on charges of abuse of power and corruption, with the prosecution arguing that she orchestrated [...]
