The Spanish Supreme Court on Monday issued an indictment against National Court judge Baltasar Garzon for his order to place illegal wiretaps in jailhouses for the purpose of recording conversations between inmates and their lawyers. Garzon’s order was a part of his investigation into a network of businesses alleged to have given money and other [...]
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday to consider creating new laws, courts and prisons specialized to address the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia. The resolution, sponsored by Russia, calls for the creation of piracy courts outside of Somalia and cooperation among countries in combating the piracy problem. Russian [...]
French special forces Monday aided in the capture of the Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo in the city of Abidjan. Gbagbo surrendered after French tanks moved in on his residence while it was surrounded by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara’s forces. Gbagbo has refused to leave office since he was defeated in the presidential elections last [...]
The controversial French law that bans the wearing of full Muslim veils, including burqas, nigabs and other facial coverings in public took effect on Monday. Pursuant to the law, people caught wearing facial coverings in public can be fined 150 euros (USD $215) and/or ordered to take a citizenship class. In addition, anyone convicted of [...]
JURIST Special Guest Columnist Tamar Cerafici of the Cerafici Law Firm says that the nuclear crisis in Japan highlights the need for an international response with clear, measured leadership from the United States. That leadership is hollow unless the United States adopts a coherent energy policy paying more than a begrudging acceptance of nuclear power…. [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Keith J. Bybee of Syracuse University says that a mix of political preference and impartial principle may not only be present in our judiciary, but also may be expected by the public…. Although the lawsuits over health care reform will not reach the Supreme Court for many months, one verdict on the [...]
Democratically elected Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara should investigate “atrocities,” including murder and rape, committed by opposing political forces during recent conflicts, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report requested Saturday. According to the report, forces loyal to Ouattara, known as the Republican Forces of Cote d’Ivoire, killed more than 100 civilians, raped at least 20 [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Richard Edwards of the University of the West of England Bristol Law School says that the United Kingdom faces a constitutional crisis over the disenfranchisement of prisoners, which raises further questions about its relationship with Europe and the Human Rights Act…. Constitutional crises often arise from the most unlikely of cases. Remarkably [...]
Libyan officials on Sunday promised a new constitution and “a Libyan form” of democracy, but provided no explanation as to what role current Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi might play in the new government. Libya currently has no constitution, but rather, is governed by a book Gaddafi wrote in the 1970s, as well as Gaddafi himself. [...]
A federal jury on Friday acquitted anti-Castro Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles of charges of lying to federal immigration officials. He was indicted before the US District Court for the Western District of Texas on two counts of perjury and nine counts of making false statements regarding his involvement in the bombing of tourist attractions [...]
