JURIST - Paper Chase

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40798942010-03-10T16:17:30.452-05:00JURIST - 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-41852970689280625592010-03-10T15:30:00.009-05:002010-03-10T16:17:30.590-05:00Nigeria police to charge 49 with murder over recent ethnic violence

[JURIST] Nigerian police officials said Wednesday that 49 people, predominately Muslims, will be charged with murder following the recent killing of Christian villagers near the city of Jos. Reports have varied [BBC report] as to the number of people killed in the weekend attack, but police now put the number at 109. The attacks were apparently in retaliation [AP report] for the January violence

Hillary Stemplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826858157450882123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-450446822092494042010-03-10T14:24:00.005-05:002010-03-10T16:08:08.095-05:00Rights group urges Afghanistan to repeal war crimes amnesty law

[JURIST] The Afghan government should retract a law granting amnesty [press release] for war crimes and human rights abuses committed prior to December 2001, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Wednesday. The National Stability and Reconciliation Law was originally passed by the Afghan Parliament [official website] in 2007, but did not take effect until it was recently published in

Hillary Stemplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826858157450882123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-40302768847201631552010-03-10T13:27:00.003-05:002010-03-10T15:44:27.272-05:00Senate committee hears testimony on limiting corporate campaign spending

[JURIST] The US Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] held a hearing [materials; video] Wednesday on the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [opinion, PDF], which eased restrictions [JURIST report] on political campaign spending by corporations. The hearing, entitled "We the People? Corporate Spending in American Elections after

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-52613494132720747742010-03-10T12:20:00.004-05:002010-03-10T14:41:36.889-05:00Italy parliament approves bill shielding Berlusconi from trial

[JURIST] The Italian Senate [official website, in Italian] on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill [materials, in Italian] that would allow cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], to postpone criminal proceedings against them on the grounds that they would interfere with official duties. The legislation, passed by a vote of 169-126 [

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-46023987640660781522010-03-10T11:24:00.010-05:002010-03-10T13:09:05.547-05:00Myanmar junta announces new election law barring Suu Kyi from participating

[JURIST] Myanmar's military junta announced the implementation of another election law on Wednesday that establishes procedures for the country's first election in 20 years. The Political Parties Registration Law prevents [IANS report] political prisoners from participating in the election and also makes it illegal for members of religious orders, insurgent groups, and foreigners to join

Jay Carmellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302975656949829244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-21506430412226784362010-03-10T10:18:00.000-05:002010-03-10T11:32:56.170-05:00Iran court begins trial of prison officials charged with murdering detainees

[JURIST] An Iranian court on Tuesday began the trial of 12 Iranian prison officials accused of torturing three prisoners to death, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) [official website, in Persian]. The three victims, identified as Mohsen Rouholamini, Mohammad Kamrani, and Amir Javadifar, were arrested for their involvement in the protests following the June 12

Jay Carmellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05302975656949829244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-75117370055089999622010-03-10T09:09:00.005-05:002010-03-10T11:43:31.245-05:00International lawyers urge UN to condemn detention of missing China rights advocate

[JURIST] An international group of human rights lawyers on Tuesday petitioned [text, PDF; press release, PDF] the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] to condemn to the detention of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng [advocacy website; JURIST news archive], missing for more than a year. The group is seeking a declaration that Gao's detention is a violation of

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-1694538714881678612010-03-09T15:55:00.003-05:002010-03-09T16:30:57.409-05:00India upper house approves quota for women lawmakers

[JURIST] India's upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha [official website], on Tuesday approved a bill to ensure that one-third of seats in parliament are reserved for women. The Women's Reservation Bill [2008 text, PDF], introduced [JURIST report] Monday, would increase the number of women serving in the 543-seat legislature, which currently has no gender quota, from 59 to at least 181. The

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-12369222606344507902010-03-09T14:39:00.006-05:002010-03-09T15:57:52.477-05:00UN rights experts urge civilian trials for 9/11 suspects

[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism Martin Scheinin [official website] on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to hold civilian trials for accused 9/11 conspirators, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed [JURIST news archives]. Scheinin called [Reuters report] the military commissions [JURIST news archive] system "fatally flawed" and said that reforming the system

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-17851810921116086202010-03-09T13:16:00.014-05:002010-03-09T15:24:20.521-05:00China, India agree to non-binding climate accord

[JURIST] China and India agreed Tuesday to endorse the non-binding Copenhagen Accord [text, PDF], which calls for self-imposed limits on greenhouse gas emissions [JURIST news archive]. Some 100 countries have already agreed [NYT report] to be associated with the non-binding accord, which arose from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) [official website; JURIST report] held in Copenhagen in

Megan McKeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13448577607680864340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-36591594503468862202010-03-09T11:49:00.011-05:002010-03-09T15:01:00.380-05:00Myanmar junta announces election laws

[JURIST] Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday unveiled [NLM report] the first of five laws that will set the stage for the country's first election in 20 years. The Union Election Commission Law, the first of the five laws enacted [Al Jazeera report] Monday to be published in state-run newspapers, states that the military government will appoint the five-member commission that will supervise and

Haley Wojdowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08323890931571403393Hwojdowski@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-66985459841368121072010-03-09T11:32:00.013-05:002010-03-09T14:39:04.868-05:00Thailand government approves use of strict security law ahead of protests

[JURIST] The Thai Cabinet [official website, in Thai] on Tuesday approved the invocation of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to allow for increased security measures in anticipation of large anti-government protests. The law [BBC report] will provide more power to security forces and allow for the movement of protesters to be restricted through the imposition of curfews, checkpoints, and

Megan McKeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13448577607680864340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-88944439969825195002010-03-09T10:31:00.012-05:002010-03-09T13:47:22.934-05:00Utah governor signs bill criminalizing attempted illegal abortions

[JURIST] Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) [official profile] signed a bill [press release] into law on Monday that would allow a woman to be charged with criminal homicide if she arranges for an illegal abortion. Bill HB 462 [text, PDF] defines abortion and states that "[t]he killing or attempted killing of a live unborn child in a manner that is not an abortion shall be punished as provided in

Haley Wojdowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08323890931571403393Hwojdowski@gmail.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-91859939419382046942010-03-09T10:18:00.003-05:002010-03-09T10:46:06.764-05:00Nigeria urged to prosecute those responsible for recent ethnic violence

[JURIST] The Nigerian government must investigate the recent killings [press release] of more than 200 Christian villagers and prosecute those responsible, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said Monday. Attacks [BBC report] blamed on Muslim herders took place near the city of Jos over the weekend, in apparent retaliation for violence between Muslims and Christians in January. HRW called

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-61085382654179626622010-03-09T09:10:00.003-05:002010-03-09T10:21:54.855-05:00Sri Lanka parliament votes to extend state of emergency until after elections

[JURIST] The Sri Lankan Parliament [official website] voted [press release] Tuesday to extend the country's current state of emergency until after next month's parliamentary elections. The measure, passed by a vote of 93-24 [Hindu report], was opposed by the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana, the country's main opposition party. President Mahinda Rajapaksa [official website] dissolved parliament [JURIST

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-26346404371436889222010-03-08T16:53:00.000-05:002010-03-08T17:16:25.059-05:00India lawmakers weigh bill to reserve parliamentary seats for women

[JURIST] Indian lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill to ensure that one-third of seats in parliament are reserved for women, marking International Women's Day [official website]. The Women's Reservations Bill [2008 text, PDF], introduced in the Rajya Sabha [official website], or Council of States, would increase the number of women [Times report] serving in the 543-seat legislature, which

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-73350590852339173812010-03-08T16:04:00.004-05:002010-03-08T16:18:43.507-05:00Haiti judge orders release of US missionary charged with kidnapping

[JURIST] A Haitian judge on Monday ordered the release of one of the last two US missionaries out of a group of 10 who were arrested on kidnapping charges [JURIST report] following the January 12 earthquake [JURIST news archive]. The judge announced last month that both missionaries would be released, following the release [JURIST reports] of the other eight members of the missionary group

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-4402142252787398982010-03-08T15:10:00.002-05:002010-03-08T15:30:28.196-05:00ICC postpones trial of Congo rebel leader Bemba until July

[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Monday postponed the trial [press release] of former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba [case materials, JURIST news archive], originally set to begin April 27 [JURIST report], until July 5. The trial was delayed to allow the court more time to consider the defense's motion on the admissibility

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-70679986877483356192010-03-08T14:44:00.014-05:002010-03-08T15:47:47.980-05:00Europe rights commissioner cautions against burqa ban

[JURIST] The top rights official at the Council of Europe [official website] on Monday rejected [press release] the notion of banning Muslim burqa [JURIST news archive] and niqab garments. Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg [official profile] noted in a written statement [text] marking International Women's Day [official website]: Those who have argued for a general ban of the burqa

Steve Dottererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660076860396005858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-64934856565114901062010-03-08T13:44:00.004-05:002010-03-08T14:49:31.451-05:00Thousands protest Spain abortion law changes

[JURIST] Thousands of Spaniards gathered Sunday to protest recently approved changes [JURIST report] to Spain's abortion [JURIST news archive] laws. Protesters marched in cities across Spain to protest the new law [El Pais report, in Spanish], which will allow abortion up to 14 weeks in most cases. Organizers [advocacy website] in Madrid estimated that as many as 600,000 people [press release, in

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-31033992287864105092010-03-08T12:53:00.003-05:002010-03-08T15:04:13.606-05:00China legislature weighs election reform proposal

[JURIST] The Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) [official website, in Chinese] on Monday opened consideration of election reforms designed to afford equal representation to residents of rural and urban administrative areas. China's current electoral law provides more congressional representatives to residents of urban districts than residents of rural ones. The draft amendment aims to

Steve Dottererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660076860396005858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-53453769694167055502010-03-08T12:05:00.002-05:002010-03-08T13:19:19.745-05:00Supreme Court to rule on picketing military funerals

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] on Monday granted certiorari [order list, PDF] in three cases. In Snyder v. Phelps [docket; cert. petition, PDF], the court will take up the controversial issue of picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in combat. Reverend Fred Phelps and members of the Westboro Baptist Church [church website; JURIST news archive] have been

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-3570464642191895982010-03-08T11:50:00.003-05:002010-03-08T13:43:23.570-05:00Vietnam human rights lawyer released from jail

[JURIST] Vietnamese human rights lawyer and activist Le Thi Cong Nhan [AI backgrounder; JURIST news archive] was released from prison on Saturday after serving a three-year sentence for allegedly spreading propaganda against the state. Although she has been released [AP report] from jail, she will now serve an additional three years of house arrest. Nhan was convicted and imprisoned in 2007 for

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-15659242762510408472010-03-08T11:16:00.003-05:002010-03-08T11:37:49.435-05:00Supreme Court rules pretrial motion time not excluded under Speedy Trial Act

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] on Monday ruled [opinion, PDF] 7-2 in Bloate v. United States [Cornell LII backgrounder; JURIST report] that time granted to prepare pretrial motions is not automatically excludable under the Speedy Trial Act [18 USC § 3161(h)(1) text]. The court held that such time may be excluded only when a district court grants a

Jaclyn Belczykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10531510092813386799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079894.post-51410396630224445542010-03-08T10:47:00.003-05:002010-03-08T12:00:42.967-05:00Malaysia appeals court rules opposition leader's removal from office constitutional

[JURIST] The Malaysian Federal Court ruled Monday that the 1998 removal of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim [official profile; JURIST news archive] as deputy prime minister was constitutional. Anwar had challenged his removal on the grounds that the removal was unconstitutional because then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who fired Anwar alleging that he had notified the king, lacked the

Ximena Marinerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06141546965415147103noreply@blogger.com