The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth on compensation for injuries caused by childhood vaccines. The question is whether § 22(b)(1) of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which expressly preempts certain design defect claims against vaccine manufacturers “if the injury or death resulted from side effects that [...]
Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday unanimously dismissed treason charges against opposition leader Kizza Besigye and 10 co-defendants, ruling that there was insufficient evidence and that the state had violated the defendants’ rights. Besigye had been charged with plotting to forcefully overthrow the Ugandan government between 2001 and 2004 but had always maintained his innocence, calling [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday granted certiorari in six cases. In the consolidated cases of Camreta v. Greene and Alford v. Greene , the court will decide how to apply the Fourth Amendment to a child suspected of being sexually abused. The petitioners were co-defendants in a case involving a child who was temporary [...]
The Irish High Court ruled Monday that the country does not recognize any laws that would allow Internet services providers to suspend service to customers suspected of Internet piracy. The judgment was issued after the Irish recording industry attempted to have an injunction brought against broadband provider UPC , requiring the company to suspend service [...]
A judge for the US District Court in the District of Arizona on Friday denied motions to dismiss a class action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the controversial Arizona immigration law . Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) and Sheriffs Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu had filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit claiming the plaintiffs, including [...]
A UK court began inquests Monday into the July 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52 people and injured 700 others. Lady Justice Hallett is presiding over the inquests with the victims’ families to determine whether each death was the result of an unlawful killing under British law. The main issue is whether some of [...]
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Monday that police have arrested Mal Rt CEO Zoltan Bakonyi on criminal negligence charges for the company’s role in last week’s Akja chemical spill . Orban also announced an emergency law that was easily passed allowing the government to take control of Mal Rt, which owned the plant from [...]
French authorities have arrested alleged Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) leader Callixte Mbarushimana under a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) , the ICC announced Monday. The court charged Mbarushimana, a former UN employee, with five counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes for acts committed by [...]
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty on Sunday marked the 8th World Day against the Death Penalty , specifically urging the US, Iran and China to end the death penalty . French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner encouraged all countries that still embrace the death penalty to abolish it and set up a moratorium on [...]
The Belgrade Appeals Court on Monday overturned the war crimes conviction of former Bosnian officer Ilija Jurisic and ordered a retrial. The court reasoned that September 2009 proceedings in the War Crimes Chamber of the Belgrade District Court provided insufficient evidence , releasing Jurisic and overturning his 12-year prison sentence. Jurisic, accused of coordinating an [...]
