The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reconsider a ruling that plaintiffs in Amnesty v. Blai had standing to sue the US government over surveillance. The plaintiffs, including attorneys, journalists and rights organizations, facially challenged Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [...]
Milorad Dodik , president of the Bosnian Serb Republic, Republika Srpska , announced on Friday that he has cancelled a referendum on the legality of the war crimes court that was set to take place next month. The referendum would have gauged support amongst citizens of Republika Srpska for the federal judiciary as well as [...]
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed into law on Friday an “Arizona style” anti-illegal immigration bill that allows law enforcement officers to ask about immigration status when questioning suspects in criminal investigations. The law also imposes fines and prison sentences of up to one year for anyone who knowingly transports illegal immigrants during the commission of [...]
UN human rights officials expressed concern Friday over rights violations in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen where governments have responded to ongoing reform protests with crackdowns and military deployments. The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is worried about NGO reports from Syria indicating as many as 850 people have been killed and thousands [...]
JURIST Contributing Editor David Crane of Syracuse University College of Law says there is a fairly simple formula to determine the legality of the military operation that killed Osama Bin Laden… To assist in the important debate related to the targeting of Osama Bin Laden, I offer up a formula to assist in this important [...]
Recent revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa have demonstrated the unique opportunities that social media has created for human rights activists, according to an Amnesty International (AI) report released on Friday. However, repressive governments are now striking back by seeking to gain control of mobile telephone networks and the Internet. “The rise of [...]
Several major record companies announced Thursday that they have reached a $105 million settlement with music file-sharing website LimeWire . A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York had issued a permanent injunction in October to prevent the site from providing online users with the software necessary to share [...]
The Missouri House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The measure, passed by a vote of 121-33, would impose penalties on doctors who fail to comply with the new restrictions. It would provide some exceptions, permitting abortions of viable fetuses only when the [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday informed the UN Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties about a recent visit by Sudanese President Omar-al Bashir to Djibouti for the inauguration of the country’s president. The notice also served as a reminder to Djibouti that, as a state party to the Rome Statute , [...]
US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said Thursday that information which led to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was not obtained through torture. Speaking on the floor of the US Senate , McCain said that the name of Bin Laden’s courier was not obtained from accused 9/11 conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , [...]
