British businessman Hemant Lakhani , 69, was sentenced to 47 years in prison by a New Jersey federal court Monday for financially backing terrorist activities. Lakhani was convicted in April of illegal arms sales and attempting to provide material support to terrorists after he reportedly sold a missile launcher to an informant who posed as [...]
In Monday's environmental law news, the US Senate could vote tonight on a proposal that would set aside the Environmental Protection Agency cap on mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants. The agency's rule , which was finalized in March, sets a nationwide cap on mercury emissions and puts a ceiling on allowable pollution for each [...]
Leading Monday's states brief, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled today that an illegal immigrant, suffering from severe pain and diagnosed with acute leukemia, was entitled to Medicaid because he suffered from an emergency medical condition. The court overturned a lower court decision upholding the denial of Medicaid benefits to the illegal immigrant by finding that [...]
US v. Raymond Lee Scott, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, September 9, 2005 . Read the full text of the ruling. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
Former Israeli army General Doron Almog said Monday that he had narrowly escaped arrest on war crimes charges after arriving Sunday at London's Heathrow airport for a planned UK vacation. Allegedly tipped off by British government contacts, Israel's ambassador to Britain boarded the plane on the tarmack and warned Almog that British officers were waiting [...]
As US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings commenced Monday for nominee John Roberts , Democrats and Republicans sparred over the appropriateness of questioning Roberts about controversial issues such as privacy rights and abortion. Roberts, who was nominated by President Bush to serve as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States in the wake of [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has extended the reasonable search and seizure rights established under the Fourth Amendment to defendants awaiting trial on criminal charges. The 2-1 decision held that police may not conduct a search based on less than probable cause of a defendant released and awaiting trial, even if [...]
AP is reporting that FEMA Director Michael Brown has resigned from the agency after being replaced last week as the on-site head of federal Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. 5:15 PM ET – President Bush has named R. David Paulison , head of FEMA's emergency preparedness force, Administrator of the US Fire Administration and [...]
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice released a report Monday revealing that federal agents frequently violate the FBI's guidelines for dealing with confidential informants. After assessing 120 confidential informant files from FBI offices around the country, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said the investigation revealed that 87 percent of cases [...]
US Pentagon officials are in the final stages of determining whether to implement a new weapons program that would mandate the production of a new era of landmines, dubbed "networked munitions", in the face of international opposition to such weapons. Doreen Chaplin, division chief for network munitions in the Army, said the new program, entitled [...]