Leading Tuesday's states brief, a Kentucky circuit judge issued two stays of execution today to allow two prisoners to continue their challenge to the state's use of lethal injection as a form of execution. Last week, the same judge ruled that the use of lethal injection was constitutional . While no death warrants are in [...]

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, passed by the UK House of Commons on July 11, 2005 likely to stir up racial or religious hatred," carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years]. Read the full text of the bill here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Leading Tuesday's corporations and securities law news, American Express has settled a lawsuit with New Hampshire and residents of the state. The state said it sued after learning the company had pressured agents in New Hampshire to sell its own underperforming options. New Hampshire had originally asked for $17 million in damages. Reuters has more. [...]

Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu presented new anti-terror measures in Italy's parliament Tuesday amid increased fears of attacks in Italy in the wake of Thursday's bombings in London . The measures, including provisions allowing police to hold suspects longer who have not been charged, would give police greater investigative powers and provide incentives for those [...]

US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter , co-sponsor with Senator Patrick Leahy of a bill to end asbestos injury lawsuits and pay the claims from a private fund instead, said Tuesday he was still urging the bill to be brought forward despite criticism , a tight legislative calendar, and a looming battle in the [...]

Lawyers for former star investment banker Frank Quattrone asked an appeals court Tuesday to throw out his conviction due to confusing jury instructions given at his trial. Quattrone, sentenced to 18 months in prison , was convicted on charges of obstructing a federal stock investigation after he sent out an e-mail to employees at Credit [...]

Leading Tuesday's international brief, the Joint Electoral Management Body in Afghanistan released the final list of approved candidates on Tuesday for the upcoming national parliamentary elections currently scheduled for September 18 . Under Afghanistan's new constitution in force since January 2004, candidates wanting to run for office must first be approved by an independent complaints [...]

King Mswati III of Swaziland has officially refused to sign the final draft of the country's proposed constitution , which passed through both the House of Assembly and Senate of Swaziland in June . The king had already sent the constitution back to parliament a week ago, asking parliament to reconsider adopting Christianity as the [...]

Judge Barbara Jones , in a ruling made public Tuesday, has denied a petition by former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers for a new trial, opening the way for him to be sentenced as scheduled on Wednesday for the huge WorldCom business fraud. Ebbers had made various arguments claiming that the judge or prosecutors should have [...]

European antitrust investigators raided Intel Corp. offices in Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy Tuesday as part of an ongoing probe of the chipmaker European affairs by the European Commission, which over the last four years has been looking into allegations that the computer chip giant used unfair business practices to encourage client's to purchase its [...]