Three US Army soldiers were charged with murder Wednesday for their alleged roles in the killings of four Iraqis in April 2007 . Sgt 1st Class Joseph Mayo, Sgt John Hatley, and Sgt Michael Leahy Jr, who were formerly part of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry , were all charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to [...]
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that his administration had reached a settlement in a long-standing lawsuit over homeless families' right to use shelters throughout the city. The main lawsuit, McCain v. Koch , was initially filed in 1983 by the Legal Aid Society . As that lawsuit progressed through the court system [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday upheld as constitutional an Arizona law which revokes the business licenses of employers who hire illegal immigrants. Pro-immigration, business, and civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the Legal Arizona Workers Act , arguing that it violated employers’ due [...]
Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.; Somos America, v. Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform Inc., et al., US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, September 17, 2008 . Read the full text of the opinion . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
A bill overwriting judicial interpretations which have narrowed protections under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) awaits President Bush's signature following passage by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. The ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which was approved by a voice vote, purports to "restore the intent and protections" of the landmark civil rights [...]
The US House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to open an impeachment investigation of US District Judge Thomas Porteous of the Eastern District of Louisiana , who is accused of perjury and accepting bribes from lawyers. The committee unanimously approved a resolution creating a task force to conduct the inquiry, which is the first of a [...]
FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday defended proposed investigation guidelines before the US Senate Judiciary Committee as a "necessary step" in fighting terrorism. Opponents have argued that the changes could allow inappropriate racial and ethnic profiling and would permit agents to open terror investigations without evidence of any crime having been committed. Appearing at a [...]
Prosecutors told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Wednesday that they plan to revise the charges against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic by Monday. Appearing in the war crimes tribunal's Trial Chamber, prosecutor Alan Tieger said he would seek court permission to amend an indictment issued in 2000. He did not [...]
FBI Director Robert Mueller told the US House Judiciary Committee Tuesday that the federal government would commission an independent review of the FBI's use of scientific evidence in its investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks . Mueller said during a hearing on FBI oversight that officials have been discussing such a review with the National [...]
The US House of Representatives passed proposed legislation Tuesday night that would partially lift the ban on offshore oil drilling as part of a comprehensive energy proposal. The bill, entitled the "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act," was passed by a vote of 236-189 . The Act would authorize drilling activities 50 miles [...]
