Pedro Lozano, et al. v. City of Hazleton, US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, July 26, 2007 . Read the full memorandum and order . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

A federal judge Thursday ordered the federal government to pay Peter Limone, Joseph Salvati , and the families of two other men who died while in jail over $101 million after finding the government liable for malicious prosecution. The men were convicted of a 1965 murder after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) withheld evidence [...]

Four Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Solicitor General Paul Clement Thursday asking Clement to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "may have misled Congress or perjured himself in testimony before Congress." The letter follows reports that a 2006 memorandum from the Office of [...]

Bulgarian Prosecutor General Boris Velchev Thursday defended Bulgaria's pardon of six medics against Libyan criticism , saying that Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov properly exercised his discretionary power to pardon the six defendants, who were within the legal jurisdiction of Bulgaria. On Wednesday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry issued a formal complaint accusing Bulgaria of violating a [...]

Federal authorities have arrested and charged a former school teacher for accepting kickbacks from contractors attempting to obtain military contracts in Iraq, the US Justice Department announced Thursday. Carolyn Blake is alleged to have been involved in a scheme with her brother, Major John L. Cockerham, and his wife, Melissa Cockerham, in which she received [...]

US Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) Wednesday urged members of Congress to adopt legislation suspending the United States' annual $3 million contribution to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) . Coleman said that the UNHRC's focus on Israel and failure to address alleged human rights abuses in countries like North Korea, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe resembles the [...]

The Kansas Supreme Court delayed a bid by Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison to test the constitutionality of an anti-funeral picketing law Wednesday, saying it wasn't sure whether Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was correctly named as the defendant. The court sought clarification from Morrison before August 24. The court, which may dismiss the lawsuit, also asked [...]

Former Bangladeshi Telecommunications Minister Aminul Huq was sentenced to 31 years imprisonment Thursday for aiding Islamic extremists executed in March for the murder of two judges in 2005. The militants acted as part of a terror campaign to bring traditional Islamic rule to the country to replace the current secular, Muslim system. Nearly 30 people [...]

Nigerian Judge Anwuri Shekere Wednesday suspended court proceedings in the criminal case against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer until October 29, granting a request by prosecutors for more time to prepare. Pfizer is accused of conducting an illegal clinical trial in 1996 on approximately 200 Nigerian children, 100 of which were administered the then-experimental anti-biotic Trovan without [...]

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra failed to attend a meeting Thursday with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) which is probing possible tax evasion allegedly committed by Thaksin during his tenure in office. According to the DSI, Thaksin, who now resides in London, may have hid assets owned by his family in order to [...]