According to a new rule approved by the Michigan Supreme Court , jurors cannot be selected on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The rule, approved by a 4-3 vote and released Friday, will take effect January 1 and will be applied even in cases where the aim of selecting such [...]

Lower courts in Uzbekistan Saturday sentenced 25 more men found guilty of involvement in the May 2005 Andijan uprising. Thirteen defendants were sentenced by the Tashkent provincial court and 12 by the Tashkent city court; all received at least 20 years in prison. Authorities have meanwhile confirmed that hearings are underway for 58 other individuals [...]

A Yemeni appellate court Saturday upheld the capital sentence of a Shia cleric accused of spying for the Iranian government and for supporting an armed rebellion in northern Yemen last year. The case will now go to the Supreme Court of Yemen, which will render a final decision in the death penalty case of cleric [...]

Iran's conservative Guardian Council Saturday approved the constitutionality of a bill designed to prevent inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if Iran is reported to the UN Security Council for potential sanctions. The lower house of Iran's parliament approved the bill two weeks ago, which will now become law [...]

The European Union has released a statement criticizing the death penalty after North Carolina executed Kenneth Lee Boyd , marking the 1,000th execution in the US since the US Supreme Court lifted a 10 year moratorium on capital punishment in 1976. "We consider this punishment cruel and inhuman," said the statement. "It does not act [...]

Entertainment Software Association et al. v. Rod Blagojevich, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, December 2, 2005 . Read the full text of the findings of fact and conclusions of law . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to deliver a stern message to leaders in Europe when she heads there Monday, telling them in effect to "back off" from their criticism of US treatment of terror suspects and the existence of alleged secret CIA prisons. Rice, who has been largely silent on the detainee [...]

In court papers filed Friday, US Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said certain details of his investigation into the CIA leak case , including grand jury testimony and documents identifying witnesses, must remain secret, implying that the probe continues to move forward and that further charges may be forthcoming. Fitzgerald did not object, however, to further [...]

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle Friday vetoed legislation that would have capped the amount of money victims in medical malpractice lawsuits could be awarded for pain and suffering at $450,000 for adults and $550,000 for minors. Doyle said in a press statement that the adult cap was just $5,000 more than that set in previous Wisconsin [...]

The 100-nation governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Friday authorized an independent board to award funds to victims of war crimes through administration of the international Victims Trust Fund . Member states and private groups have reportedly donated over $1 million to the fund, but disbursement to victims of genocide and crimes against [...]