Leading Monday's securities and corporations law news, the SEC has charged three men with conning investors in a microcap scam. The scam involved sending faxes that were designed to look like a confidential stock tip from a financial planner to a client. In a press release, the SEC said that in 2 separate scams the [...]

Leading Monday's states brief, the California Supreme Court ruled today that a boss's sexual affairs with subordinates may result in the sexual harassment of other employees in violation of the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act . In the case, two former state prison employees alleged that the warden was having affairs with several women [...]

The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia will take up the case of Jose Padilla Tuesday, the latest in a series of twists and turns the litigation has taken. The proceeding comes after the US Supreme Court refused to hear Padilla's expedited challenge to his "enemy combatant" status in June, instead directing [...]

In an about-face from an earlier decision , the US Department of Justice is appealing to the US Supreme Court in an attempt to reinstate $280 billion in damages in its lawsuit against tobacco companies. Government lawyers previously defended their decision to drastically reduce the amount sought in response to a ruling that federal law [...]

Giovanni di Stefano , a lawyer for Saddam Hussein, said once again Monday that the insurgency in Iraq has created an unsafe environment for the trial of the former dictator and that the venue should be changed to a more stable country. Di Stefano argued that because some in Iraq feel strongly that Saddam should [...]

UK Home Office Secretary Charles Clarke said on Monday that the three main political parties in the UK – Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal-Democrats – have reached an agreement in principal regarding new anti-terrorism legislation in the wake of the London bombings. Legislation targeting preparation for and planning of terrorist attacks will be introduced [...]

Amnesty International on Monday called for Spain to formally confront its past and provide justice for victims of former fascist Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco . In February, prominent Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon had urged the creation of a "truth commission" to investigate past abuses, but dealing with the Franco era is still a contentious [...]

UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Yakin Erturk said Monday that the difficulties faced by Afghani women, from abusive child marriages to public executions ordered by local councils, are still dramatic problems that need to be addressed despite the passing of the strict Taliban regime. To combat these issues, Ertürk and her group are [...]

As part of a plea deal reached in April , Eric Rudolph was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole for his role in the 1998 bombing of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama . Rudolph has also pleaded guilty to three bombings in the Atlanta area, including an attack at the 1996 Summer [...]

AP is reporting that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said that military trials of two suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay will resume as soon as possible and charges will be filed against eight other detainees. 2:25 PM ET – Rumsfeld's comments, made at a news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister John [...]