[JURIST] The US Securities and Exchange Commission has issued press releases concerning new rules adopted Thursday on attorney conduct [SEC press release] and proxy voting [SEC press release]. Full texts of the new rules are not yet available on the SEC website. See below for more [JURIST report] from Thursday's Open Meeting.

[JURIST] New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer proposed a series of reforms to New York's corporate accountability laws Thursday. Read the press release detailing his proposals.

[JURIST] Cisco Systems announced Thursday that it has filed a software copying complaint against Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei Technologies [corporate website]. Review the complaint [PDF text] and read the accompanying press release from Cisco.

[JURIST] The Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) delivered remarks Thursday criticizing the US FBI and INS for restricting freedom of ideas under the PATRIOT Act. Read the OSCE press release and the US government's response.

[JURIST] The U.S. Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the leading nonprofit membership organization of computer scientists and information technology professionals, expresses its concerns about the US government's proposed Total Information Awareness surveillance system in a letter [text] being sent to Congress Thursday.

[JURIST] The Justice Department Thursday released the text of a Congressionally-mandated semi-annual audit report on alleged abuses of civil rights and civil liberties [report text, PDF] by Department of Justice employees acting under the USA PATRIOT Act. The DOJ cover letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee [PDF text] is also available.

[JURIST] A redacted version of a highly critical US Department of Justice audit report [PDF text] released Thursday on Immigration and Naturalization Service airport inspection facilities is now online. The INS pre-release response [PDF text] to the DOJ audit is also available.

[JURIST] The New York-based monitoring group Human Rights Watch released [HRW press release] a report Thursday on the U.S. military's "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy of discharging gay and lesbian service members who reveal their sexual orientation, saying the policy violates human rights and deprives the military of skilled personnel. Read Uniform Discrimination: The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy of the US Military [report text].

[JURIST] The US Securities and Exchange Commission held an Open Meeting Thursday to set new rules of conduct for attorneys who appear and practice before the Commission. New proxy voting rules were also be established. Listen to recorded audio. A full meeting agenda is available.

[JURIST] Regulations.gov [official website], the new online federal regulations clearinghouse created to facilitate citizen participation in federal rulemaking, went online Thursday at 8 AM. Thanks to beSpacific for the link.

[JURIST] A transcript of Wednesday's press briefing at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague is now online. The briefing includes details on the arrival and condition of former Serb President Milan Milutinovic who turned himself in to the Tribunal earlier this week, and on medical visitations for former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

[JURIST] Northwestern University School of Law has posted recorded video [Quicktime format] of then-Governor George Ryan's Illinois death row clemency speech delivered at the Law School on January 11.