Idaho Governor CL "Butch" Otter (R) on Wednesday became the first governor to sign a bill into state law banning any federal mandate for individuals to have health insurance. The Idaho Health Freedom Act orders the state attorney general to file a lawsuit against the national government over any law making health insurance mandatory. The [...]
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) released its Annual Report on Human Rights 2009 Wednesday, noting the increasing demand for human rights by citizens throughout the world. The report also cited the contrasting argument by some governments that human rights are merely a Western construct that are unnecessary or inappropriate in certain countries. Introducing [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Wednesday that a Pennsylvania prosecutor cannot file child pornography charges against a teenage girl whose topless photo was found on a number of her schoolmates' cell phones, upholding a preliminary injunction. Wyoming County prosecutor George Skumanick threatened to bring felony charges against several students who [...]
Human rights group Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday urged Cuban authorities to "revoke laws that restrict freedom of expression, assembly and association and to release all dissidents unfairly detained by the authorities." AI called on President Raul Castro to invite UN experts and human rights organizations into the country to independently monitor the human rights [...]
The State of Law Coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday asked the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to recount ballots cast in the March 7 parliamentary election , alleging fraud. State of Law spokesperson Ali Al Adib claimed that the ballots were manipulated by the manager of an electronic counting center [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit Tuesday seeking information related to the US government's use of unmanned Predator drones. The suit, filed in the US district court for the District of Columbia, seeks to enforce a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made in January. The ACLU alleges that the unmanned warplanes have [...]
The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled Wednesday that the constitution does not prevent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from replacing retiring Chief Justice Reynato Puno prior to the May presidential elections. The court found that the constitutional provisions that prevent the president from appointing officials immediately before or after elections do not apply to the Supreme [...]
The UK High Court ruled Wednesday that the Catholic social services agency Catholic Care may refuse to consider same-sex couples as candidates for adoption, pending a review of their policy by the UK Charity Commission. The case revolved around interpretation of Regulation 18 of The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations of 2007 . That legislation [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will continue to operate beyond its originally planned end date at the end of this year. Ban estimated that it will be necessary for the court to remain open until 2013. Part of the reason for the extension [...]
US Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended his intention to try suspected terrorists, including accused 9/11 conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian criminal court. Holder faced numerous questions on the issue while testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee, repeatedly defending the decision to use federal courts, as opposed to military commissions . Holder drew [...]
