A judge in Kentucky Thursday dismissed with prejudice charges against Gov. Ernie Fletcher in the wake of a settlement agreement, meaning that prosecutors are barred from continuing the criminal case against Fletcher in connection with alleged corrupt hiring practices. Fletcher pleaded not guilty in June to charges of criminal conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination [...]
South Africa's cabinet on Thursday sent a civil unions bill to the parliament that would place same-sex partnerships on equal footing with traditional marriages. The parliament is expected to approve the bill, which was mandated by a December 2005 ruling of the South African Constitutional Court holding that the 1961 Marriage Act prohibition against same-sex [...]
Jordan Paust : "Recent litigation re: GTMO detainees in a Circuit Court has raised the issue whether the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) is relevant to requirements of the 1949 Geneva Conventions that provide detainee rights and Executive duties. As noted in a previous JURIST Forum essay, Not Authorized By Law: Domestic [...]
Negotiators for Maoist rebels in the Nepal constitutional talks expressed reservations Thursday that the draft interim constitution, to be presented Friday, does not address the key issue of whether the new government should retain elements of the former monarchical system. The six-person Interim Constitution Drafting Committee (ICDC) was formed in July in an historic contract [...]
The UK Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) ruled Thursday to uphold the deportation order of an Algerian citizen known to the court as "Y," finding that Algeria has improved their human rights record so that the deportee's human rights would not be put in jeopardy, and that "Y" is a danger to national security and [...]
Government-sponsored mortgage dealer Fannie Mae announced Thursday that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has discontinued its two-year investigation into alleged accounting violations, though criminal prosecutions could still be brought against individual employees. Fannie Mae was notified by the US Attorney for the District of Columbia that "it does not plan to file charges against [...]
Members of the Philippines House of Representatives on Thursday voted 173-32 to uphold a decision last week by the House Committee on Justice , defeating impeachment proceedings against Philippines President Gloria Macapagal and preventing a trial in the Senate. Macapagal has been accused of vote rigging, bribery, graft, corruption, human rights abuses and violations of [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour Wednesday urged the adoption of an increasingly-problematic draft of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , a proposed treaty to protect the rights of the disabled. Arbour said the agreement would "address the stereotypes and prejudices that deny persons with disabilities enjoyment of [...]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the over-the-counter sale of the "morning after" or Plan B emergency contraceptive pill , to women 18 and over. A controversial provision of the FDA's approval requires a doctor's prescription for women under 18 years old. The drug's manufacturer, Barr Laboratories , will be responsible [...]
Chen Guangcheng , a blind Chinese human rights legal activist, was sentenced Thursday to four years and three months in prison for damaging property and "organizing a mob to disturb traffic." Chen supporters have said, however, that the charges were fabricated and he was actually arrested for reporting complaints of government mandated abortions and forced [...]
