Following up on a story reported this morning in JURIST’s Paper Chase, AP is reporting that in the absence of the Canadian Governor General, Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has signed Bill C-38 into law, making Canada the fourth nation in the world to legalize gay marriage.

Two just-released Guantanamo Bay detainees told reporters Wednesday that more than 180 prisoners at the US detention facility in Cuba are 14 days or so into a hunger strike. Habir Russol and Moheb Ullah Borekzai, both from Afghanistan, indicated that the prisoners are not eating or drinking in protest of their detention and alleged mistreatment [...]

Retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has told reporters that while she approves of President Bush’s decision to nominate federal appeals court judge John Roberts to replace her on the US Supreme Court , she's somewhat disappointed that the nominee was not a woman. Justice O’Connor described Roberts as a "first rate" choice with an excellent [...]

Leading Wednesday's corporations and securities law news, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) will pay $125 million to settle with US regulators. The SEC and the state of New York accused CIBC of lending money to hedge funds that engaged in illegal market timing trades. In a press release, the SEC said that CIBC [...]

The US Federal Trade Commission announced Wesdnesday that five companies will pay a total of $1.16 million in fines to settle civil charges that they violated FTC anti-spam rules . The companies were targeted for sending unsolicited emails advertising pornography that didn't include the phrase "sexually explicit" in the subject line to facilitate users blocking [...]

Leading Wednesday's states brief, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed legislation today that increases school funding by $148.4 million for the upcoming school year and prohibits any state court handling a lawsuit over school funding from enforcing any order that would close schools or prevent the distribution of funds for public education . The legislation is [...]

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) said Wednesday he preferred waiting until September to begin hearings for US Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, creating a tight timetable for Roberts to be approved by the full Senate in time for the court's new term starting October 3. No Senate Democrats have publicly voiced opposition to [...]

Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that the United States has returned three Saudi detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Government television said that "legal measures concerning them will be completed" but gave no other details. The US last returned Saudi detainees in May 2003, when five men were sent home , where they were then [...]

Leading Wednesday's international brief, in the strongest statement so far by a European governmental body, the German Bundestag has called on the German government to take several strong steps against the administration of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe , including measures to ensure that the relevant "masterminds" behind Operation Murambatsvina are referred to the International Criminal [...]

In the wake of the US Supreme Court's June decision in Kelo v. New London allowing a local government authority to expropriate private property for private redevelopment that confers economic benefits on the community, legislators in at least 25 states are working to limit the scope of the controversial ruling. In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley [...]