The UK House of Commons voted Thursday to reject a controversial European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling and continue preventing prisoners from voting in British elections. Voting to extend the ban by an overwhelming 212-vote majority, MPs have now forced British Prime Minister David Cameron , who supports the ban, to decide whether to [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday upheld challenged aspects of the Canada Evidence Act , ruling that national security considerations take precedence over criminal convictions. The court affirmed the constitutionality of a provision that vests the Federal Court with, and removes from trial judges, the authority to determine the national security implications of evidence [...]
The Egyptian military is improperly detaining protesters and allowing prisoner abuse , including torture, according to a Wednesday report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) . HRW, in conjunction with Front for the Defense of Egyptian Protesters (FDP) , has calculated at least 119 arbitrary detentions and five incidents of torture, providing detainee accounts . The [...]
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that a senior Department of Defense (DOD) official has reduced the sentence of Ibrahim al Qosi , the former al Qaeda cook and accountant who pleaded guilty before a military tribunal last July to crimes of conspiracy and supporting terrorism. His sentence reduced to just two years, al Qosi could return [...]
Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has been placed under house arrest , according to his website Saham News . On Thursday morning, security forces reportedly took control of the area outside of Karroubi’s residence and have barred all family members, except his wife, from entering. The report indicates that the arrest is related to calls [...]
The Croatian Ministry of Justice on Wednesday asked France to extradite former Serb paramilitary fighter Milorad Momic, according to a report by state television. Momic, who has allegedly been living under a false name in France, was arrested last week in Grenoble under an international arrest warrant . An alleged former member of the Serbian [...]
JURIST Contributing Editor Haider Ala Hamoudi of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law says that a recent decision by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court is the first opportunity to understand the Court’s position on the interpretation of Article 2 of the Iraq Constitution, which prohibits law from violating the settled rulings of Islam… Quite recently, [...]
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli on Tuesday filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the US Supreme Court asking the court to rule on the constitutionality of the health care reform law on an expedited basis, before the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rules on the issue. Cuccinelli announced last [...]
A judge in the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois on Tuesday ruled that the state did not unconstitutionally advocate religion by financially contributing to the restoration of the Bald Knob Cross of Peace . The court rejected an argument that the $20,000 grant constituted a legislative earmark, thereby violating the Establishment [...]
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman stated Tuesday that President Hosni Mubarak approved the formation of a committee to oversee changes to Egypt’s constitution . Suleiman announced Egypt’s timetable for a peaceful transition of power and discussions that have taken place with opposition party representatives. The various participants involved in discussions with Suleiman expressed their “appreciation [...]
