JURIST Guest Columnist Victor Williams, clinical assistant professor at Catholic University of America School of Law and a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C. says that the debate over Ben Bernanke's potential reappointment as Chairman of the Federal Reserve is illustrative of a broken Senate confirmation process in which nominee defamation and floor vote delay are [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that an Uzbek Guantanamo Bay detainee has been transferred to Switzerland. The detainee, whose identity will not be disclosed in order to facilitate his transition into life in Switzerland, was unanimously approved for transfer. The Swiss government agreed to accept the detainee for resettlement "on humanitarian [...]
Her Majesty's Treasury v. Ahmed, et al., Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, January 26, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on the freezing of assets.
Former chief legal adviser to the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Sir Michael Wood told the Iraq Inquiry in a public hearing on Tuesday that he had advised the Foreign Ministry that the 2003 Iraq invasion was illegal. Woods testified that the invasion was "contrary to international law" because it was never authorized by [...]
Israel's Knesset approved legislation on Monday to grant immunity to approximately 400 protesters involved in violent protests in connection with the 2005 removal of settlers in the Gaza Strip . The amnesty measure, which passed by a vote of 51-9 , does not extend immunity to people who committed acts that endangered human life, but [...]
The French parliamentary commission charged with investigating whether to enact laws banning the wearing of burqas or other "full veils" released its report Tuesday calling for a partial ban. The panel urged a ban that would apply in public facilities, including hospitals, schools, and public transportation, and to any individual attempting to receive public services. [...]
The Supreme Court of California ruled 5-2 Monday to authorize the use of "John Doe" arrest warrants, which replace an unknown suspect's name with his or her DNA profile as the unique identifier. Prosecutors have increasingly been using these warrants as a means of satisfying the statute of limitations in criminal cases. California law, which [...]
A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside of the Forsenics Lab of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior's Criminal Investigation Department on Tuesday, killing 21 people and injuring at least 80 others. The building collapsed shortly after the attack, which comes one day after a wave of attacks against several Baghdad hotels frequented by westerners. [...]
A Chinese court Tuesday sentenced four more people to death in connection with the July Xinjiang riots . The Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi sentenced eight others to life in prison and one to the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, which is usually commuted to life in prison. To date, at least 26 people [...]
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Tuesday a federal ban on texting while driving for commercial truck and bus drivers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the prohibition will take effect immediately. Drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750. The regulation, proposed [...]
