Opening statements by Senators at the confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts, Jr., nominated to be Chief Justice of the United States, US Senate Judiciary Committee, September 12, 2005. Read the full text of the statements. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Compliance with the Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines, released to the public on September 14, 2005 . Excerpt: We found that the FBI's compliance with each of the four Investigative Guidelines differed considerably by Guideline and field office. The most significant problems were failures to comply with the Confidential Informant Guidelines. [...]

Making his own opening statement on the first day of his confirmation hearings , US Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts told the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday:a certain humility should characterize the judicial role. Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around. Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make [...]

Leading Monday's corporations and securities law news, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has announced that it has entered into a consent order with Freddie Mac over the company's multi-billion dollar accounting scandal . The OFHEO, which maintains government oversight of Freddie Mac and Freddie Mae, announced the settlement in a press release [...]

Levar Haley Washington and Gregory Vernon Patterson, both pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges that they planned terrorist attacks in Los Angeles . Washington said that he pled not guilty "n the name of Allah." The two were held without bail after their pleas were heard. The intended targets in the LA area are [...]

British businessman Hemant Lakhani , 69, was sentenced to 47 years in prison by a New Jersey federal court Monday for financially backing terrorist activities. Lakhani was convicted in April of illegal arms sales and attempting to provide material support to terrorists after he reportedly sold a missile launcher to an informant who posed as [...]

In Monday's environmental law news, the US Senate could vote tonight on a proposal that would set aside the Environmental Protection Agency cap on mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants. The agency's rule , which was finalized in March, sets a nationwide cap on mercury emissions and puts a ceiling on allowable pollution for each [...]

Leading Monday's states brief, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled today that an illegal immigrant, suffering from severe pain and diagnosed with acute leukemia, was entitled to Medicaid because he suffered from an emergency medical condition. The court overturned a lower court decision upholding the denial of Medicaid benefits to the illegal immigrant by finding that [...]

US v. Raymond Lee Scott, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, September 9, 2005 . Read the full text of the ruling. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Former Israeli army General Doron Almog said Monday that he had narrowly escaped arrest on war crimes charges after arriving Sunday at London's Heathrow airport for a planned UK vacation. Allegedly tipped off by British government contacts, Israel's ambassador to Britain boarded the plane on the tarmack and warned Almog that British officers were waiting [...]