In a closed door meeting Monday, US District Judge Gladys Kessler urged the government and tobacco company executives to settle the multibillion dollar racketeering lawsuit filed by the Justice Department 5 years ago. In the suit, the government alleges that tobacco manufactures violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by conspiring to downplay [...]

Leading Monday's states brief, the Supreme Court of New Jersey ordered its criminal practice committee to assess whether financial records should be given more protection as a matter of public policy. In upholding the conviction of a woman whose bank records were subpoenaed and shown to a jury, the Supreme Court found that privacy protections [...]

Leading Monday's international brief, Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Chirau Mwakwere has announced that Kenya would actively be seeking to obtain one of the two permanent regional seats for Africa under the current proposed reform plans for the UN Security Council . The reform plan calls for the addition of 10 Security Council seats, 6 [...]

Adelphia Communications Corp. founder John Rigas has been sentenced to 15 years for bank fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy. 5:02 PM ET – AP is reporting that former Adelphia chief financial officer Timothy Rigas has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Bloomberg has more.

Having last week reached a deal on Sunni representation on the parliamentary committee to draft the Iraqi constitution , Iraqi politicians are now debating over who exactly should be named to the new seats. Sunni leaders have submitted a list of 15 candidates for the positions with full voting rights, but without getting support for [...]

A new report released by the World Health Organization on Monday urges countries to pass laws protecting the mentally ill, a group categorized by a WHO press release as "among the most vulnerable and the least legally protected". The report says almost a quarter of all countries have no mental health law, and many more [...]

President Bush on Monday demanded a vote in the Senate on his nomination of John Bolton as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, and White House officials would not rule out the possibility of a recess appointment to sidestep the Senate if necesary. Senate Democrats last week rejected a new Republican compromise offer on [...]

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has formally adopted 11 changes to its constitution in an effort to prevent and deal more harshly with sexual abuse by members of the clergy. The changes, to be incorporated into the church's Book of Order on July 3, allow victims more involvement in the offender's punishment as well as stricter [...]

The British Department of Health Monday began an 11-week program to survey the public on a proposed smoking ban that would prohibit smoking in restaurants, bars that serve food, and enclosed public places in England. The DoH is asking citizens what exemptions they think should apply, and if the ban should eventually include more areas. [...]

Prosecutors on Monday summoned former Romanian President Ion Iliescu to testify in a criminal investigation into deadly riots by coal miners in the 1990s. Iliescu refused to appear personally and instead sent his lawyers, who asked for a continuance to review evidence. No charges have been filed against him yet, but prosecutors are looking to [...]