An appeals court in Malaysia ruled on Tuesday that the country's ban on sodomy is constitutional. The court made the ruling while considering the appeal of Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahaman, who was convicted of sodomizing a 14-year-old boy and sentenced to 60 years imprisonment. Abdul Rahim claimed the intercourse with the boy was consensual, but [...]
The UK Iraq Inquiry released a 2002 letter on Tuesday from former UK attorney general Peter Goldsmith to former secretary of defense Geoffrey Hoon in which Goldsmith warned the Cabinet that the Iraq invasion was not supported by international law. The letter stated that Goldsmith was having "considerable difficulty" supporting a legal foundation for the [...]
Former vice president of China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) Huang Songyou was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges on Tuesday and sentenced to life imprisonment . Huang is the highest-ranking judge to be charged with corruption since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Between 2005 and 2008, Huang allegedly embezzled 3.9 million yuan [...]
Former New Jersey governor Jon Corzine signed the "Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana" bill on his last full day in office Monday, legalizing the use of medical marijuana in the state. The bill allows doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis, [...]
The British Government announced Monday plans for a new scheme to compensate victims of terrorist attacks abroad. Home Secretary Alan Johnson introduced the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme as part of the Crime and Security Bill that is currently before Parliament. The scheme will be limited to British nationals who sustain any injury from [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday issued two per curiam opinions , remanded the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal , and denied a preliminary injunction to Michigan in a dispute over Asian carp. The Court granted certiorari in Beard v. Abu-Jamal and granted the respondent's motion to proceed in forma pauperis. The Court vacated the judgment [...]
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that the US will allow Haitian orphans into the country to receive needed care in the aftermath of last week's earthquake . The humanitarian parole policy , which grants individuals temporary admission to the US in emergency cases, will apply to certain groups of Haitian [...]
The Spanish High Court on Monday ordered the extradition of pilot Julio Alberto Poch so that he may be tried in Argentina for his alleged role in the nation's 1976-83 "Dirty War" . Poch was a navy officer at Argentina's Naval Mechanics School , one of the most notorious detention centers of the military dictatorship, [...]
A judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Monday sentenced two men previously convicted in connection with the failed "Toronto 18" terrorist plot. Alleged plot leader Zakaria Amara was sentenced to life in prison, while Saad Gaya was sentenced to a 12-year prison term. Amara and Gaya were two of 18 men arrested in [...]
New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, January 18, 2010 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on medical marijuana.
