Mexican Attorney General Arturo Chavez , announced Friday that he is resigning his position for urgent personal reasons. Chavez, appointed just 18 months ago, resigned amid criticism over how he handled the position. Three weeks ago, a US diplomatic cable released through WikiLeaks described Chavez’s appointment as “totally unexpected and politically inexplicable” . The leaked [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the new health care law . District Court Judge Joseph Laplante held that the plaintiff, 80-year-old Harold Peterson, lacked standing because his Medicare coverage automatically satisfied the law’s insurance mandate. The complaint [...]
The Quebec Court of Appeal , Quebec’s highest court, ruled Thursday that the creation of a national securities adviser, as set forth in the proposed Canadian Securities Act , would be unconstitutional. The legislation would establish the Canadian Securities Regulatory Authority (CSRA) , consolidating the current “passport” system, which allows province and territory authorities to [...]
An Argentine federal court on Thursday sentenced former general Eduardo Cabanillas to life in prison for his involvement in the nation’s 1976-83 “Dirty War” . Cabanillas, who ran a secret Buenos Aires facility known as Automotores Orletti, was convicted of murder , torture and illegal imprisonment of its detainees. The detentions were part of “Operation [...]
The South Korean Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a law allowing the government to bring criminal charges against any member of the military who has sex with another individual of the same gender. The law, which allows for prosecution even in the absence of a complaining witness , has been part of the Korean military [...]
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday ruled 10-6 that it lacks jurisdiction in a case to determine whether Russia committed human rights abuses following the secession of two areas of Georgia in the 1990s. The ICJ began hearings on the case after Russia challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the controversy in late [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday denied the petition for initial hearing en banc in the health care reform law appeal. The two-page order does not reveal the results of the vote other than indicating a majority voted against it. The order confirms that the appeal will nonetheless be expedited. [...]
The Indiana Senate overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday an amendment to the State Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage or any “substantially similar” status. The measure passed 40-10 after receiving a similarly lop-sided victory in the House of Representatives last month. The amendment would reaffirm Indiana’s 25-year-old statutory ban on gay marriage . Opponents of the [...]
Microsoft announced Wednesday it will file a formal complaint with the European Commission (EC) detailing alleged anticompetitive practices by Google . Microsoft claims Google has engaged in “a broadening pattern of conduct aimed at stopping anyone else from creating a competitive alternative” to Google’s products and services in Europe, where it controls over 90 percent [...]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday ordered the formation of a committee that will evaluate possible elimination of the country’s 48-year-old state of emergency law. The panel will be composed of legal experts and charged with examining potential legislative measures that would simultaneously preserve national security and allow the revocation of the emergency law, which [...]
