The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled in Kane v. Espitia that California inmate Joe Garcia Espitia isn't entitled to a new trial because he was denied virtually all access to a jail law library while representing himself in court. In an unsigned opinion , the Court reversed the US Court of Appeals for the [...]

Reaction from Capitol Hill Monday to President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the US Supreme Court seat left vacant by retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor has primarily focused on one issue: Alito's judicial views on abortion. In a statement Monday, Senate Minority Leader Harry [...]

At the urging of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the Bahrain Embassy in Washington has formally demanded that the US government promptly investigate charges of torture, abuse and other inhumane tactics being used against Bahraini prisoner Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif Al Dossary. Held for months at Guantanamo Bay , al Dossary claims he is [...]

The civil trial of former El Salvadoran military officer and naturalized US citizen Nicolas Carranza commenced in US District Court in Memphis Monday. Carranza was vice president of defense and director of the Salvadoran Treasury police during the nations' turbulent 12-year civil war , and stands accused of violating various domestic and international laws, including [...]

According to a recent survey from ROMIR Monitoring , more than half of Russians think those in positions of power, ranging from the president and parliament to government and the courts, are dishonest and corrupt. Alexander Konovalov, the president of the Institute for Strategic Assessments said the results helped to explain the "colossal level of [...]

After what Human Rights Watch has called a flawed trial , a 14-year-old boy is facing execution in Saudi Arabia after his conviction for the murder of a young child. The three-year-old victim was found dead with numerous stab wounds in a park in the eastern city of Dammam last year. According to the HRW [...]

Britian's military court service announced Monday that the seven British soldiers facing court-martial over alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners will not stand trial until next year. The charges against the men relate to treatment of Iraqi prisoners being held in Basra between September 13-15, 2003. Among those that will stand trial are Queen's Lancashire Regiment [...]

Lewis Libby , Vice President Dick Cheney's long-time chief of staff, will make his first court appearance on Thursday, after being indicted Friday in the CIA leak investigation , a court official said Monday. Libby, who faces charges of obstructing justice, perjury and making false statements, is expected to enter a not guilty plea at [...]

The US Supreme Court granted certiorari Monday in four cases, including one where the Court will clarify the rights of illegal immigrants upon reentering the United States after having been deported. In Fernandez-Vargas v. Gonzales , the Court will decide whether the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996 , which limits opportunities [...]

A military tribunal began hearings Monday in the case of a US Army sergeant accused of killing two of his superior officers in Iraq. The Article 32 hearing will determine whether Staff Sergeant Alberto B. Martinez faces a court martial for the deaths of Capt. Philip Esposito and Lt. Louis E. Allen in a June [...]