The US Senate on Monday voted 75-21 to confirm Eric Holder to serve as Attorney General. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to approve Holder's nomination. Monday's debate over Holder's confirmation was partisan at times with committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) denouncing Republican senators such as John Cornyn (R-TX) who have asked [...]
The US State Department announced Monday that it has instituted sanctions against Chinese, Iranian, and North Korean arms companies for violating US rules against the spread of weapons and missile technology. Under the sanctions, the companies are banned from trading with the US or US companies. The sanctions were imposed under the Arms Export Control [...]
Re: Buy American provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, Delegation of the European Commission, February 2, 2009, . Read the full text of the letter . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said that his office is considering arguments that the court may have jurisdiction over war crimes Israeli troops have allegedly committed in the Gaza Strip, according to a Monday report in the Times of London. Moreno-Ocampo had earlier said that ICC did not have jurisdiction over the alleged crimes because [...]
Cheryl Hanna : "The Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, along with seventeen other similar organizations from across the country, filed an amicus brief in Vermont v. Brillon to call to the Court's attention the impact the decision will have on victims of domestic and sexual violence. We are particularly concerned that allowing a [...]
The trial of Chinese human rights activist Huang Qi, an outspoken critic of the Chinese government's response to the earthquake in the Sichuan Province , originally set for Tuesday, will now be delayed. A Chinese court on Monday scheduled the trial date for Tuesday, leaving Huang's attorney less than 24 hours to prepare his defense [...]
The British government intends to present legislation that would allow for members of the House of Lords to be removed for improper behavior, according to a statement by UK Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Jack Straw during a Sunday interview with BBC Radio 4. The announcement comes a week after members of [...]
The director of Guatemala's National Compensation Program Cesar Davila announced Friday that the Guatemalan government has filed more than 3,000 criminal complaints for human rights violations allegedly committed during the country's 1960-1996 civil war . The complaints were filed on behalf of more than 5,000 victims who allege they were subjected to forced disappearance, forced [...]
An official from the US State Department said Friday that the Blackwater Worldwide contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq will not be renewed when it expires in May. The State Department has yet to make an official statement but is expected to do so soon. The decision not to renew the contract was made [...]
Spain is considering legislation to limit the the scope of universal jurisdiction applied by the country's National Court , according to Spanish media reports Sunday. If adopted, the Reform of the Judiciary Act would limit the court's jurisdiction over war crimes and genocide charges to those cases that have a substantial link to the country [...]
