Suit filed against California stem cell research bill News
Suit filed against California stem cell research bill

[JURIST] A California public interest group filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to invalidate the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) [official website], the $3 billion stem cell research funding institution authorized by California voters last November. The suit filed by Californians for Public Accountability and Ethical Science alleges that provisions in Proposition 71 [CA AG summary] that exempt CIRM members from government conflict-of-interest laws are illegal. The suit also challenges the ballot language of Proposition 71, alleging a violation of a California election law that requires each proposition to address a single subject. The lawsuit was filed directly with the California Supreme Court [official website] due to the issue's urgency. CIRM is scheduled to begin awarding research grants in May. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country's Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.