The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted 193-174 Wednesday to pass a bill repealing the death penalty . The proposed legislation would amend New Hampshire's criminal code by extending the definition of first-degree murder to encompass capital murder. The bill would take effect January 1, 2010, but Governor John Lynch (D) has said that he [...]
Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek formally resigned Thursday, casting doubt on the future of the European Union (EU) reform pact known as the Treaty of Lisbon . Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said Wednesday that the recent collapse of the country's ruling coalition would likely "complicate" its ratification of the treaty. The coalition had [...]
The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has named several key officials and finalized procedural and evidentiary rules in order to begin investigating and trying those involved in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri , according to a statement issued by the court Wednesday. The STL, which was created in [...]
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (R) said Wednesday that he would veto a bill approved earlier this week by the Vermont State Senate that authorizes same-sex marriages in the state. In a statement made to reporters, Douglas said that he announced his position early because he wanted to allow the legislature to focus on more crucial [...]
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that the US Department of the Treasury will propose stronger rules in response to the current economic crisis, at a meeting with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Wednesday. Geithner also said that the US should push for global financial reforms when he accompanies US President Barack Obama to [...]
Steve Simpson : "In the case of Citizens United v. FEC, the US Supreme Court confronted the inescapable logic of the campaign finance laws: if the government can ban a broadcast advertisement that is paid for by a corporation, then it can ban movies and even books as well. In fact, during the argument, Justice [...]
FBI director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the rise in financial fraud investigations is limiting the ability of the FBI to fight other crimes. Mueller, speaking during the "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" hearing , told Congress that since 2003 public corruption cases have increased more than 58 percent. [...]
The Xinhua District Court in China Wednesday accepted the first civil suit seeking damages against a dairy company in connection with the contaminated milk scandal . The lawsuit , which was brought by the family of one of the children who fell ill last year, seeks more than USD $4,500 from the now-bankrupt Sanlu Group [...]
Israel unlawfully and extensively used white phosphorous munitions in their recent Gaza offensive, according to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) . The report maintains that while white phosphorous is allowed to be used to obscure ground operations in open areas and against military targets, international law prohibits air-bursting the shells over [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in United States v. Denedo , in which the Court will consider whether a military appellate court has jurisdiction to entertain a petition for a writ of error coram nobis filed by a former service member to review a final court-martial conviction. The case involves a Nigerian [...]
