Several Native American groups are voicing opposition to a proposed Oklahoma law that would require all official state business be conducted in English on the grounds, arguing it would stifle efforts to revive tribal languages. As drafted, the Oklahoma English Language Act contains exceptions including "teaching or studying other languages," protecting the rights of criminal [...]
Passage of a draft law aimed at dividing oil proceeds among various religious and ethnic groups in Iraq is critical to continued US support of the current Iraqi government, associates of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told AP Tuesday. The draft oil law approved by the Iraqi cabinet in late February is now before the Iraqi [...]
Several US soldiers testified against their former squad leader Tuesday in a case relating to the killing of several Iraqi detainees after a May 9, 2006 raid in Thar Thar, a town near Samarra in Iraq's Salahuddin province. Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard faces court-martial on charges of premeditated murder for his alleged involvement in the [...]
In celebration of JURIST's 10th anniversary, JURIST and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law are hosting a one-day conference in Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 29. Law as a Seamless Web|site will feature four panels and 14 distinguished speakers exploring a range of issues at the intersections of law, war, rights, social justice, technology, legal [...]
Defense lawyers for former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan have filed an appeal with the Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT) , asking the court to overturn Ramadan's death sentence . Ramadan was convicted by the IHT alongside Saddam Hussein in November and originally sentenced to life in prison. The IHT Appeals Chamber later deemed the [...]
A Turkish prosecutor officially filed charges against political science professor Atilla Yayla Tuesday for "insulting the legacy" of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk , the founder of modern Turkey. The professor is being prosecuted for a November 18 speech, in which he stated that Ataturk's rule from 1925 to 1945 was not as progressive as some believe. [...]
The Tokyo High Court overturned a landmark decision on Tuesday that had held both the Japanese government and Rinko Corp. responsible for forcing Chinese citizens into slave labor during World War II. The 2004 lower court ruling mandated that Rinko Corp. and the government of Japan pay the Chinese plaintiffs $760,000 in damages for the [...]
The British government introduced a progressive new draft environmental bill on Tuesday that could control greenhouse gas emissions until as far as the year 2050. Outlined in the Queen's Speech said that he hopes this will encourage other countries, including the US, to adopt similar changes, saying that "This is a revolutionary step in confronting [...]
The Judicial Conference of the United States decided Tuesday that it will ask Congress for 67 new judge positions , including 15 new circuit court positions and 52 new district court judgeships, throughout the country in order to help ease the crowded court system. No new circuit court judges have been added to the bench [...]
Sudan on Tuesday attempted to prevent the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) from considering a report by a UNHRC team sent to investigate conditions in Darfur . The report , issued Monday, calls for immediate protection of victims in the war-ravaged region of Sudan. In response Tuesday, Sudanese Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi accused team [...]
