UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon attempted Tuesday to temper expectations for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen set to take place in a month, saying that it might not result in a treaty. The meeting, which will host world leaders, is an effort to replace the controversial Kyoto Protocol , which several nations, including the [...]

Maine voters approved a ballot initiative Tuesday that repealed a same-sex marriage bill passed by the state legislature last May. Question 1 , which read, "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?" was projected to prevail by [...]

Five men who claim they were illegally detained after 9/11 reached a settlement agreement with the US government for $1.26 million, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) , which represented the men, announced Tuesday. The men were part of Turkmen v. Ashcroft , a suit against several Bush administration officials and law enforcement organizations. The [...]

JURIST Guest Columnists Laurie Blank of Emory Law's International Humanitarian Law Clinic and Gregory Gordon of the University of North Dakota School of Law say that the most glaring failure of the controversial Goldstone Commission Report on the Gaza conflict has gone unnoticed…. The Goldstone Commission Report on the January 2009 Israel-Palestinian conflict in Gaza [...]

Former outside accountant for Bernard Madoff , David Friehling , pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraud charges in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York . Despite his guilty plea, Friehling did not admit knowledge of Madoff's Ponzi scheme. Friehling, who was charged in March, pleaded guilty on nine counts, including securities [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) ruled Tuesday that displaying a crucifix in a public school classroom violates the European Convention on Human Rights . The lawsuit was brought against Italy by Soile Lautsi, who claimed that displaying a crucifix "infringed the constitutional principles of secularism and of impartiality on the part of the [...]

Former British officer Simon Mann , convicted last year of involvement in a 2004 coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea, was released from prison Tuesday after being pardoned by Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo . Mann and his accomplices, four South African mercenaries, left the country Wednesday after being given 24 hours to depart. [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in three cases. In NRG Power Marketing v. Maine Public Utilities , the Court heard arguments on whether the Mobile-Sierra doctrine applies when an entity not party to an interstate electricity contract contests the contract as not being "just and reasonable" as required by Section 206 of [...]

Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus signed the EU reform treaty, known as the Treaty of Lisbon Tuesday after the country's Constitutional Court ruled that the treaty does not conflict with the country's constitution. Klaus signed the treaty, despite maintaining his position that the court's decision was political and that the treaty interferes with Czech sovereignty. [...]

15 MRSA §5821-A, Maine legislature, approved by voters November 3, 2009 . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here. Latest commentary available here. JURIST has more on legal issues surrounding medican marijuana.