JURIST Guest Columnist William G. Ross of Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, says Arizona’s controversial new immigration law appears to be constitutional, at least on its face, but the state must be scrupulously careful to avoid even the appearance of any kind of discrimination against Hispanics…. Arizona’s controversial new legislation to facilitate enforcement of [...]
The coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki requested Monday that an election court delay a recount of votes from the March 7 parliamentary elections that began Monday morning, claiming that the procedures currently in place fail to protect adequately against irregularities. Head of the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) Faraj al-Haidari said the [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-3 in Renico v. Lett that double jeopardy is not violated by a new trial after a state trial court declared a mistrial due to the jury's inability to reach a verdict. The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the decision of the district court [...]
Journalism rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released a report Monday listing 40 "Predators of Press Freedom" throughout the world. The list includes several prominent politicians and groups including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Spain's Basque separatist group ETA and the Sinaloa, Gulf, and Juarez drug [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously in Hui v. Castaneda that Public Health Service (PHS) officers or employees are immune from Bivens actions for harms arising out of constitutional violations committed while acting within the scope of their office or employment. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), federal employees are not protected [...]
An Indian court on Monday convicted Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab of murder and waging war against India for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 166. Kasab, a Pakistani native, was convicted on all 86 charges against him. Prosecutors had accused Kasab of being one of the gunmen photographed during the [...]
Rallies were held nationwide on Saturday to protest the passage of the recent Arizona immigration law and call for federal immigration reform . Tens of thousands of protesters held rallies and vigils in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Chicago, and 70 other cities throughout the US. The largest of the protests was held in Los Angeles, [...]
European Parliament Vice President Silvana Koch-Mehrin expressed her support for a continent-wide ban on the Islamic burqa in an editorial published Saturday in the German daily Bild . Koch-Mehrin, a member of the Free Democratic Party representing Germany, described the burqa as a "mobile prison" which "robs of their face and personality." Koch-Mehrin also stated [...]
Nine Somali men accused of piracy and other charges pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Friday. US federal prosecutors charged 11 suspected Somali pirates last month. One of the 11 pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, and the final accused pirate will be arraigned next week. If convicted, the men face life sentences in federal prison. [...]
An Argentinian state prosecutor recommended Friday that all lawsuits arising out of crimes committed under the Francisco Franco regime be dismissed because they are being dealt with in Spain. Prosecutor Federico Delgado explained that while any state may prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity universal jurisdiction applies only if the state with primary jurisdiction to [...]
