A US military judge Friday denied a motion to dismiss charges against US Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich , the leader of the squad implicated in the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in November 2005. Lt. Col. David Jones ruled that the evidence was insufficient to demonstrate that officers handling the case were improperly [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled Friday that limiting contributions from individuals to independent political advocacy organizations is unconstitutional. The court relied on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , which eased restrictions on political and campaign spending by corporations on First [...]
A federal judge ruled Friday that firearms regulations in Washington DC, including a ban on assault weapons and a prohibition on large capacity ammunition feeding devices , do not violate the US Second Amendment . The ruling by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the US District Court for the District of Columbia also upholds new [...]
Lawyers for former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed Friday that the Constitutional Court of Thailand had wrongfully ordered the seizure of assets belonging to Thaksin and asked for a reconsideration of his case. Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin's legal advisor, said that new evidence had come to light showing that Thaksin did not abuse his power [...]
A three-judge panel of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled Friday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) cannot raise "soft money" to use in state elections. "Soft money" refers to contributions beyond the ceilings imposed by campaign finance laws. The case tests the limits of the Supreme Court's recent decision in [...]
The Obama administration on Friday defended the legality of its use of unmanned predator drone strikes . State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh explained the administration's legal rationale in a speech to the American Society of International Law , saying the strikes "comply with all applicable law." Koh said the drone strikes fit the administration's [...]
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday appointed retired Navy Vice Adm. Bruce MacDonald as the convening authority for military commissions . Considered an expert in military law, MacDonald's experience as a former Navy judge advocate general played a significant role in the appointment process. MacDonald replaces Susan Crawford, a Bush administration appointee. The position [...]
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) would appeal a judge's order to release a Guantanamo Bay detainee suspected of involvement in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. In a decision released Monday, US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge James Robinson had granted the habeas [...]
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe agreed at belated International Women's Day Celebrations on Friday that gay rights should not be constitutionally protected . While Zimbabwean "sexual deviancy" laws prohibit homosexual acts, some lawmakers have suggested that drafts of Zimbabwe's new constitution decriminalize homosexual acts. Tsvangirai and Mugabe rejected such proposals, stating [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday adopted a resolution condemning Myanmar for rights violations and urging the ruling junta to conduct fair and free elections. The UNHRC also extended the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, for an additional year. Friday's resolution comes [...]
