JURIST - Paper Chase

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40798942009-11-20T16:54:50.255-05:00JURIST - Paper ChaseJURIST's legal news service, powered by a team of over 40 law student reporters and editors led by Professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-48113896487938607192009-11-20T13:19:00.025-05:002009-11-20T16:54:43.483-05:00Senate confirms Obama's earliest judicial nominee after delay

[JURIST] The US Senate [official website] on Thursday voted 59-39 [roll call vote] to confirm Judge David Hamilton to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website], overcoming Republican opposition to secure President Barack Obama's first and longest-delayed judicial nominee. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [official website] said a Republican

Zach Zaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03690580270265031315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-8821852411393095902009-11-20T13:05:00.015-05:002009-11-20T16:43:40.802-05:00Islamic countries lobbying for treaty against religious defamation: report

[JURIST] The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) [official website] has begun lobbying for the UN General Assembly [official website] to pass an international treaty protecting religious beliefs and symbols from defamation, according to an AP report [text] Friday. The efforts of the OIC are being led by Pakistan and Algeria with full support of the organization's 54 remaining members.

Sarah Mileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14481014236505918702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-26209958841257118842009-11-20T13:05:00.010-05:002009-11-20T15:43:13.978-05:00ICTY appoints UK lawyer to represent Karadzic

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] on Friday appointed [press release] British lawyer Richard Harvey to represent Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic [case materials; JURIST news archive] if he continues to boycott his trial when proceedings resume in March. Harvey is currently joint head of the British defense firm Garden Court

Patrice Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09258579106425581242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-16412195924602220382009-11-20T13:03:00.024-05:002009-11-20T16:31:30.673-05:00Federal judge orders health benefits for same-sex spouse of federal employee

[JURIST] A judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday ordered [text, PDF] the director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts (AO) [official website] to provide health benefits to the same-sex spouse of a federal employee. Karen Golinski, the federal court employee who sued for the benefits, was married in California during the six-month period

Steve Dottererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660076860396005858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-78345190298964323902009-11-20T10:15:00.021-05:002009-11-20T16:08:04.049-05:00US only holdout on UN child rights treaty after Somalia announces intent to ratify

[JURIST] The Somali Transitional Federal Government [official website] on Friday announced its intention to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) [official website], which, if successful, would make the US the only UN member state not to have done so. The UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) [official website] welcomed [Xinhua report] the announcement that

Ann Rileynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-33811711311477151622009-11-20T09:43:00.000-05:002009-11-20T15:58:51.932-05:00Ninth Circuit upholds ruling to block advocacy intervention in Proposition 8 suit

[JURIST] A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday affirmed [opinion, PDF] a lower court's denial [JURIST report] of a conservative advocacy group's motion to intervene in a challenge to Proposition 8 [text, PDF], California's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage [JURIST news archive]. The appeals court held that the district

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-4086003152239329542009-11-20T08:44:00.000-05:002009-11-20T14:25:10.197-05:00Argentina Senate approves law to compel DNA from suspected 'Dirty War' children

[JURIST] The Argentine Senate [official website] on Thursday voted 57-1 to approve a law [materials, in Spanish] that authorizes the government to obtain DNA samples from individuals suspected to have been born to forced disappearance victims of the 1976-1983 "Dirty War" [GlobalSecurity backgrounder; JURIST news archive]. The law will amend Article 218 of the Criminal Penal Code to allow minimal

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-29458169630691178932009-11-20T08:21:00.023-05:002009-11-20T10:21:27.832-05:00New York high court rules same-sex spouses of state employees entitled to benefits

[JURIST] The New York Court of Appeals [official website] on Thursday dismissed a challenge [opinion, PDF] to two policies that provide benefits to same-sex couples married outside of the state. The first policy was a 2006 decision by the Westchester County executive to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of county employees. The second policy was a 2006 decision [memorandum, PDF] by the

Brian Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100391433523080959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-71947900752548333082009-11-20T07:32:00.001-05:002009-11-20T11:27:22.249-05:00Somalia, Afghanistan ranked most corrupt countries in annual survey

[JURIST] The conflict-ravaged nations of Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, and Iraq rank among the world's most corrupt, according to the 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) [text; press release] prepared by Transparency International (TI) [advocacy website]. The index, released Tuesday, ranked 180 countries based on observations by businesspeople and analysts, giving each a score between

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-35481848769349416982009-11-19T15:03:00.001-05:002009-11-19T16:46:52.085-05:00Russia Constitutional Court extends moratorium on death penalty

[JURIST] The Constitutional Court of Russia [official website, in Russian] on Thursday extended the moratorium [press release, in Russian] on the death penalty [JURIST news archive] until the Russian parliament ratifies an international treaty abolishing capital punishment. In 1997, Russia signed, but did not ratify, Protocol 6 of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental

Haley Wojdowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08323890931571403393Hwojdowski@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-55144900777138418732009-11-19T14:38:00.004-05:002009-11-19T16:34:15.199-05:00UK court orders release of details of ex-Guantanamo detainee's treatment

[JURIST] The UK High Court ruled [judgment text] Thursday that the details of the detention of Binyam Mohamed [JURIST news archive] in Pakistan in 2002 must be released. This most recent decision is the latest in a series of back and forth rulings on whether redacted materials regarding Mohamed's detention should be disclosed. An October interim ruling [JURIST report] by Lord Justice Thomas and

Brian Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100391433523080959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-7036625175544133762009-11-19T13:32:00.002-05:002009-11-19T16:18:39.778-05:00Bangladesh Supreme Court upholds death sentence for coup officers

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Bangladesh [official website] on Thursday denied the final appeals of five former military officers sentenced to death for the 1975 military coup assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [Hindustan Times profile], the country's first leader. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed [official website], Mujibur's daughter, praised [press release] the latest

Andrea Bottorffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11857493861024601772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-30172159138300923322009-11-19T12:59:00.002-05:002009-11-19T15:41:37.530-05:00Europe court rules delayed airline passengers entitled to compensation

[JURIST] The European Court of Justice (ECJ) [official website] ruled [case materials; press release] Thursday that airline passengers confronted with flight delays of two hours or more may receive compensation equal to that of passengers whose flights are cancelled. The flat-rate compensation ranges between 250 and 600 euros. The case arose under European Parliament and European Council

Steve Dottererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660076860396005858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-33165795952579381872009-11-19T12:01:00.000-05:002009-11-19T14:59:11.737-05:00Afghanistan president vows to fight corruption in inaugural address

[JURIST] Afghan President Hamid Karzai [official profile, JURIST news archive] pledged to fight corruption in his government during his inaugural address [text, PDF] on Thursday. To this end, Karzai announced that he would soon be organizing a conference to research the sources of the corruption and bribery that is widespread throughout Afghanistan and find ways to combat it. Additionally, he

Dwyer Arcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888451953785271095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-48905056904344391252009-11-19T11:41:00.001-05:002009-11-19T14:47:55.834-05:00Brazil top court rules for extradition of Italy fugitive

[JURIST] The Brazilian Supreme Court [official website, in Portuguese] on Wednesday voted 5-to-4 to extradite [press release, in Portuguese] former Italian guerrilla Cesare Battisti back to Italy, but left the final decision to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva [official profile, in Portuguese], who granted him asylum earlier this year. The high court has yet to decide if the order mandates

Carrie Schimizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966261928134558992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-10131917704290700692009-11-19T10:35:00.014-05:002009-11-19T13:57:26.045-05:00Federal judge finds Army Corps of Engineers liable for Katrina damage

[JURIST] A judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] on Wednesday found [text, PDF] the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) [official website] negligent in its operation and maintenance of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) [USACE backgrounder]. Damages nearing $720,000 were awarded to five plaintiffs [case materials], who successfully

Daniel Makoskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418882480068242330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-52054937379552820432009-11-19T10:22:00.029-05:002009-11-19T20:28:34.190-05:00Senior Canada diplomat accuses military of complicity in torture of Afghans

[JURIST] A former senior Canadian diplomat alleged Wednesday that the Canadian military was complicit in the torture of Afghans by their own government, during testimony before the House of Commons Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan [official website]. Richard Colvin, who represented the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) [official website] in

Megan McKeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13448577607680864340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-1200664793161973622009-11-19T09:14:00.004-05:002009-11-19T13:34:16.794-05:00Ninth Circuit orders back pay for federal employee denied same-sex spouse benefits

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ordered [text, PDF] the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California (FPD) [official website] on Wednesday to pay a monetary award to a man denied healthcare benefits for his same-sex spouse. Deputy federal public defender Brad Levenson brought the suit requesting the court to direct the FPD

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-73163660018855890382009-11-19T08:10:00.010-05:002009-11-19T10:29:01.171-05:00Federal judge rules against military lawyers for former Guantanamo detainee

[JURIST] A federal judge on Wednesday ruled [opinion, PDF] that former Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee Ahmed Ghailani [GlobalSecurity backgrounder; JURIST news archive] does not have a right to be represented by his military defense lawyers in a civilian court. Military lawyers Colonel Jeffrey Colwell and Major Richard Reiter were reassigned by the Department of Defense [official

Christian Ehrethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11763173228323485361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-11931546180212413132009-11-19T07:20:00.003-05:002009-11-19T10:32:42.183-05:00Cuba continues political repression, rights violations under Raul Castro: report

[JURIST] The Cuban government of Raul Castro [BBC profile] has continued to repress dissidents and violate fundamental civil liberties of Cubans, maintaining the mechanisms put in place by Fidel Castro [BBC profile], according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] report [text, PDF; press release] released on Wednesday. Specifically, HRW reported that 53 political dissidents imprisoned

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-90248967799183758462009-11-18T14:19:00.011-05:002009-11-18T17:11:50.058-05:00Holder defends 9/11 federal trials decision before Senate committee

[JURIST] US Attorney General Eric Holder [official profile] appeared Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] to answer questions regarding the decision to try five men accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 terrorist attacks [JURIST news archive] in federal court. In his opening remarks [transcript; video], Holder refuted the arguments made by his predecessor [

Dwyer Arcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09888451953785271095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-76459190388762427682009-11-18T13:30:00.012-05:002009-11-18T16:41:30.259-05:00UK court rules evidence may be kept secret in torture suit

[JURIST] The British High Court [official website] ruled [judgment text] Wednesday that the government may withhold evidence from seven claimants suing UK intelligence services MI5 and MI6 [official websites] for their roles in alleged torture at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. The court ruled that the agencies can rely on the evidence in their defense without disclosing it to the claimants

Hillary Stemplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826858157450882123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-67690862505603329112009-11-18T12:31:00.013-05:002009-11-18T15:25:21.466-05:00Senate defeats amendment to block funds for holding Guantanamo detainees in US

[JURIST] The US Senate [official website] on Tuesday rejected an attempt to bar using federal funds to build or modify prisons in the US to hold detainees from Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. By a mostly party-line 57-43 vote [roll call vote], the Senate defeated an amendment [S AMDT 2774 text, PDF] to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act [text, PDF; HR 3082

Carrie Schimizzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00966261928134558992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-33861718938079002822009-11-18T11:28:00.001-05:002009-11-18T15:34:24.554-05:00Iraq election law vetoed by Sunni vice president

[JURIST] Iraqi Sunni Arab Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi [personal website, in Arabic] on Wednesday announced his veto of the first article of the recently passed election law [JURIST report] at a press conference [transcript, in Arabic] in Baghdad. Hashemi said further amendments are necessary [AFP report] before the law will be acceptable, specifically calling for increased representation for

David Maneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16788805472590808583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-83353842648696573522009-11-18T10:40:00.003-05:002009-11-18T17:03:04.397-05:00Virginia conducts first US electric chair execution in over a year

[JURIST] Virginia authorities on Tuesday executed a prisoner by electric chair [JURIST news archive], conducting the country's first execution by electrocution in over a year. Former Army counterintelligence worker Larry Bill Elliott, who was convicted of a 2001 double murder, was executed Tuesday night after Virginia Governor Tim Kaine [official website] declined to intervene [press release].

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.com