The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Monday that defendants with limited English proficiency have a constitutional right to court interpreters in criminal trials. The court’s decision overturned the Georgia Court of Appeals ruling denying the defendant’s motion for a new trial. Annie Ling, whose native language is Mandarin Chinese, filed the motion after a jury [...]
The Israeli Knesset approved legislation Monday that would require referendums on peace treaties involving ceding land that the country has annexed. In a 65-33 vote, the legislature decided that a referendum would be required for any agreement involving the surrender of annexed land that fails to win a two-thirds majority in parliament. The legislation would [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday declined to rehear en banc a bid by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to overturn a decision that prevents the government from using global positioning systems (GPS) technology to track suspects without a warrant. In a 5-4 vote, the court found [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called for the revocation of blasphemy laws in Pakistan after a Christian woman was sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an argument with other women in her village last year. Asia Bibi, a mother of four, is the first woman to be sentenced to death under [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Monday extended a temporary restraining order blocking the controversial Oklahoma constitutional amendment banning the courts from considering foreign or Islamic law. Judge Vicki Miles-LeGrange said she needed more time to deal with this issue, which pits the will of the voters [...]
A Virginia circuit court judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit by two families whose children were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting can proceed against school administrators, despite their claims of sovereign immunity. The judge ruled that defendants Charles Steger and former executive vice president James Hyatt are not protected by sovereign immunity because [...]
The trial chamber of the Belgrade Higher Court’s War Crimes Department convicted two men Monday whom prosecutors claim were involved in the deaths of about 700 Muslim civilians in 1992. The court sentenced former Zvormik mayor Branko Grujic to six years in prison and former Zvormik local defense chief Branko Popovich to 15 years in [...]
A top Chinese official on Monday called on the country’s lawyers to promote law enforcement and social justice and encouraged lawyers, prosecutors and government officials to build a community of support and respect. During a meeting attended by members of the country’s law firms and bar associations, Zhou Yongkang , a member of the Standing [...]
Voters in Madagascar have approved a new constitution that will lower the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates, according to provisional results released Monday by the country’s electoral commission. According to preliminary results, nearly 74 percent of voters approved the constitution , which will keep President Andry Rajoelina in power and allow him to run [...]
The Myanmar Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi challenging the government’s dissolution of her National League of Democracy (NLD) , according to unnamed government officials. The court has not announced why the suit was dismissed . Suu Kyi filed the suit last week, seeking to reverse the [...]
