Venezuelan Minister for Prisons Iris Varela announced Sunday that she plans to release up to 40 percent of the country’s prisoners in an effort to reduce prison overcrowding . Varela, who was appointed to the position by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week, said roughly 20,000 inmates who had committed minor crimes and who posed [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Friday upheld a ruling by a federal district court that the Forsyth County, North Carolina, Board of Commissioners violated the First Amendment by beginning its public meetings with sectarian prayer. The lawsuit against the county was originally filed by three residents who felt that “the [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist James Friedman of the University of Maine School of Law says that the recent passage of the anti-boycott law in Israel does more damage to free speech and the legitimacy of Israel’s democratic system than the boycotts themselves… On July 11, the right wing coalition government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [...]
Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning on Friday announced that he is seeking approval of portions of the state’s new election law in a federal court in Washington, DC. In June, Florida officials filed an application with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking approval of the law. Browning has withdrawn four sections of the [...]
A federal judge for the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida has declared the state’s controlled-substances laws, which criminalize the “unknowing” possession of a controlled substance, unconstitutional. The decision, issued on Wednesday, stems from a petition for federal habeas corpus relief filed by Mackle Shelton, which included a claim that Florida’s Drug [...]
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Friday appealed a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturning the state’s affirmative action ban. Proposal 2 , an amendment to the Michigan Constitution , bans affirmative action in public employment, public education and state contracting. Earlier this month, the Sixth Circuit ruled that [...]
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday ruled 2-1 that patents held on two genes linked to hereditary ovarian and breast cancer are valid. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) originally filed the suit on behalf of patients and scientists challenging patents held by Myriad Genetics [...]
The trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be held at a police academy located on the outer border of Cairo, an Egyptian judge announced Saturday. Officials chose the new location for the added security , after reporting Thursday that the trial would take place at a convention center in downtown Cairo. Mubarak faces [...]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a proposal of new regulations on Thursday to reduce the air pollution left from gas and oil drilling operations. The new standards are updated to include wells that are hydraulically fractured as well as several other technological advancements that cause pollution. The proposal will update four sets of [...]
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that most claims in a lawsuit against former Lehman Brothers Holdings officials could proceed. The plaintiffs, a group of investors, contend that Lehman’s former officers, directors, and auditors, as well as security underwriters acted in violation of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [...]
