In re: Marriage Initiative of 2009, District of Columbia Board of Election and Ethics, November 17, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on legal issues surrounding same-sex marriage.

Executive Order – Establishment of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, White House, November 17, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on financial fraud.

The District of Columbia Board of Election and Ethics ruled Tuesday that Washington DC's Jury and Marriage Act (JAMA) , which allows DC to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other jurisdictions, could not be challenged by a ballot initiative because overturning the law would violate the DC Human Rights Act (HRA) . If passed, [...]

Alan Reinach : "When we were children, we used to have play fights. "I dare you," one would say, only to hear in response, "I double dare you!" Sadly, the culture wars have degenerated into a grown up version of such foolishness. The latest example is in South Carolina, where a Federal Court recently struck [...]

The German Federal Constitutional Court announced Tuesday that it upheld legislation prohibiting public support and justification of the Nazi regime. The ruling, made earlier this month, means that neo-Nazis are forbidden from assembling for the purposes of of approving, glorifying or justifying the Nazi regime. Violations are punishable by up to three years in prison. [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on Tuesday that more than 14,700 Americans have reported to the IRS previously hidden overseas bank accounts in response to a temporary forgiveness program , allowing delinquent taxpayers to avoid criminal prosecution for tax evasion by paying all overdue taxes and [...]

A US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit panel affirmed the conviction of civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart on Tuesday, and ordered her to begin her prison sentence. Stewart, along with Mohammed Yousry and Ahmed Abdel Satter, were convicted of various crimes based on association with convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman. As part of his [...]

Rwandan rebel leader Ignace Murwanashyaka and deputy Straton Musoni were arrested in Germany on Tuesday on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. Murwanashyaka is the leader of the predominantly Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) . The two are accused of wielding “significant influence” over the militia’s operations in the Democratic [...]

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Tuesday acquitted Catholic priest Hormisdas Nsengimana and ordered his immediate release. Nsengimma had been indicted on four counts of collaborating and ordering students to collaborate with the marauding Rwandan interahamwe , as well as personally killing Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide . A three-judge ICTR panel that [...]

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelley confirmed Monday that the US will send an observer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time this year. The announcement was made earlier in the day by US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp , who said the country was still concerned about [...]