Remarks at the funeral of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, President George W. Bush, September 7, 2005. Excerpt: William Rehnquist led the Court for nearly two decades, and earned a place among our greatest chief justices. He built consensus through openness and collegiality. He was a distinguished scholar of the Constitution and a superb administrator [...]

AP is reporting that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto a bill seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in California , according to a spokeswoman. The announcement follows a statement from the Governor's office late Tuesday on initial passage of AB 849 through the state Assembly in which a spokeswoman said "The people spoke when they passed [...]

Hurricane Katrina survivors already in financial distress face a second hit if they do not qualify under stricter federal bankrupcty qualifications set to take effect Oct. 17. In addition to logistical difficulties of filing for those in areas devastated by the storm, changes made by the Bankrupcty Abuse Prevention & Consumer Protection Act , approved [...]

The Bush administration has asked the US Supreme Court to reject an appeal from a US DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision supporting the administration's use of military commissions to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay . Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who once served as Osama bin Laden's driver, is challenging procedures used in the [...]

The US has provided Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad a visa, allowing him to attend the UN World Summit 2005 next week in New York, despite some suspicions that he was part of the 1979 US embassy siege in Iran. A State Department spokesman said the visa had been granted after the US Department of Homeland [...]

A federal judge Wednesday granted bail for former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers, allowing him to remain free while he appeals a conviction for his involvement in the $11 billion fraud scandal that led to the collapse of the company. Ebbers was to report to a Louisiana prison on Oct. 12 to begin his 25-year sentence [...]

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein reportedly admitted to ordering deadly attacks on Kurds in north Iraq, but he argued the attacks were legal because they were made in retribution, an Iraqi Special Tribunal official said Wednesday. The report appears to challenge the credibility of a sweeping claim made Tuesday by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in [...]

The Management of the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme, Independent Inquiry Committee, September 7, 2005. Excerpt (from an accompanying press release): "With respect to the Programme as a whole, the Committee's central conclusion is that the United Nations requires stronger executive leadership, thoroughgoing administrative reform, and more reliable controls and auditing." Read the full text of [...]

In Wednesday's environmental law news, the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a decision that found a 2010 deadline set by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to clean up soot and other particles fell within the guidelines established by the Clean Air Act . The Sierra Club and other [...]

President Bush paid tribute to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist during his funeral service at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington Wednesday, saying in a eulogy that he would be remembered for the integrity and sense of duty he brought to his work. In her own address to the gathering of Rehnquist's friends and colleagues [...]