US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) announced Monday that the Committee will meet on Wednesday to vote on whether to proceed with contempt of Congress citations against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten for their refusal to comply with subpoenas issued in the congressional [...]
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon formally requested Monday that the government of the Netherlands consider hosting the ad hoc tribunal that will investigate and try suspects involved in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . In a letter to the Dutch government, Ban stressed that The Hague has valuable experience in hosting [...]
Washington state's domestic partnership law entered into effect Monday, allowing same-sex couples over the age of 18 residing together to register with the state's domestic partnership registry. Registered same-sex couples will be afforded hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, and the right to authorize medical decisions for one's partner. The registry will also allow heterosexual couples [...]
Draft Reform Treaty, Council of the European Union, July 23, 2007 . Read the full text of the draft and associated materials. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo Monday urged lawmakers from both houses of Congress to pass legislation to curb extrajudicial killings and disappearances , adding that the Philippines must also move forward with electoral reform, such as computerized ballot counting, and impose harsher penalties for election violence. Speaking before Congress during her annual "State of the Nation [...]
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday that he will stay at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve its damaged image. In prepared testimony released Monday, Gonzales said that he feels "very strongly" that political considerations should not affect the hiring of US Attorneys and reiterated that the DOJ has an ongoing internal investigation [...]
Foreign ministers of EU member states began formal negotiations on the proposed Reform Treaty Monday. Foreign ministers convened the 2007 Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, circulating drafts of the proposed treaty so that the respective states' legal experts can meet Tuesday and Wednesday to begin preliminary negotiations to finalize the details of the landmark agreement reached [...]
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday reassured Venezuelans that any future socialist constitutional reforms will protect private property rights, dispelling what Chavez called "dogmatic" allegations by critics that the impending constitutional reforms will negate private property rights. Chavez, who is expected to submit his proposals in the upcoming weeks to the National Assembly , also [...]
US Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) Sunday announced his intention to introduce two censure resolutions against President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and other administration officials, saying that the formal condemnation is necessary because of the administration's conduct "before and during the Iraq war, and for undermining the rule of law at home." One of [...]
US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell insisted Sunday that the "United States does not engage in torture" , but refused to elaborate on the specific methods used during enhanced interrogations of terror suspects. In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," McConnell said that revealing the specific measures would aid those who want to [...]
