Indonesian prosecutors presenting their case against Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir asked a court Tuesday to sentence him to eight years in prison for terror charges, including a link to the 2002 Bali bombings. Prosecutors' sentence request was much lower than the maximum available, which would have been the death penalty, leading some to question [...]
A spokesman for Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Tuesday that Sistani is not demanding that Iraq's new constitution be based solely on Islamic sharia law . Sistani's spokesman said "Sistani reiterates his previous positions that the constitution should respect the Islamic cultural identity of the Iraqi people." Tuesday's statement is meant to refute reports [...]
Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has given permission to Professor Ian Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep , a license to clone human embryos for medical research, only the second time the authority has given consent for therapeutic cloning . Wilmut will clone early stage embryos in order to study motor neuron [...]
New allegations of torture against detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been made at the trial of five former detainees in Morocco . The five Moroccan men, who were released by the US to local authorities last August, have all pleaded not guilty to charges of belonging to or assisting a criminal group that was preparing [...]
Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Tuesday, Feb. 8. In Washington today, the US Senate convenes at 9:30 AM ET for regular business and to consider S. 5 , the Class Action Bill. A live webcast is available via C-SPAN 2. The US House will open [...]
Qualls, et al. v. Rumsfeld, et al., United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Royce C. Lambert, February 7, 2005 . Excerpt: Qualls has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits. While he has demonstrated irreparable harm, he has not shown that the Army would not also suffer harm. The [...]
According to a federal indictment unsealed Monday, W.R. Grace and Co. and seven of its high-ranking officials and managers knew as early as 1976 that a vermiculite mine operated by the company in Montana was releasing asbestos into the air and attempted to conceal the danger from workers and the surrounding community, which prosecutors claim [...]
Citing the potential for substantial disruption and diversion of military resources, US District Judge Royce C. Lambert refused Monday to issue a injuntion requiring immediate release from service of a US soldier whose active duty period had been extended under the Army's authority to extend enlistment in times of war or national emergency. Spc. David [...]
In Monday's environmental law news, California state officials have decided to begin to enforce the state's vehicle idling ban . The measure bans trucks from idling for over 5 minutes and busses for over 10, with some exceptions. Tickets will start at $100, and there is no maximum. The measure will apply to over 400,000 [...]
AP is reporting that after a week-long trial a jury in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has found defrocked Roman Catholic priest Paul Shanley guilty of repeatedly molesting a boy at his church during the 1980s. The boy, now a 27-year old firefighter, had forgotten about the incidents but said his repressed memories came back in the wake [...]
