Jassim al-Issawi, a Sunni Muslim Iraqi judge whose name was at one point on the list to serve on a parliamentary committee to draft Iraq's new constitution was killed by gunmen in Baghdad on Wednesday. Al-Issawi, who was later dropped from the committee, also served as a law professor at Baghdad University and was the [...]

Eight men accused of recruiting people to carry out suicide bombings in Iraq have been jailed in Spain following several days of questioning, officials of the National Court announced Tuesday. Spanish Judge Fernando Grande-Malarska freed 3 other men, who were also part of the group arrested last week, suspected of being members of al-Qaida in [...]

Documents released by a US congressional panel Tuesday show that the UN Security Council was aware that Saddam Hussein was violating UN sanctions, but was so split that many breaches went unchecked. Among the breaches were maintaining diplomatic ties to other nations, encouraging other nations to start commercial flights to Baghdad, reopening an oil pipeline [...]

Citing recent attacks, Israel announced Wednesday it has resumed a policy of "targeted assassinations" of Islamic Jihad militants, abandoned in February as part of a ceasefire deal. The policy has proved controversial, with critics disputing its legality and questioning whether such killings are committed in self-defense, whether they necessary to prevent immediate threats, and whether [...]

France's Justice Ministry announced Wednesday that it would appeal the "lenient" sentences imposed on French peacekeeping soldiers convicted Tuesday by a Paris military court of robbing an Ivory Coast bank while supporting a UN peacekeeping operation in the area. Eight of the soldiers were sentenced to a year in jail, while the other four were [...]

The US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on HJ Res. 10 , a proposed constitutional amendment to criminalize the desecration of the American flag. If it passes in the House, it will go to the Senate for approval, then must be ratified by 38 states. Opponents of the measure believe it restricts [...]

Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. SEC, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, June 21, 2005 . Excerpt: We hold the Commission did not exceed its statutory authority in adopting the two conditions, and the Commission's rationales for the two conditions satisfy the APA. We agree with the Chamber, [...]

Science under Siege: The Bush Administration's Assault on Academic Freedom and Scientific Inquiry, American Civil Liberties Union , June 21, 2005 . Excerpt: Academic freedom and scientific inquiry have come under sustained assault since September 11, 2001. Spurred by misguided and often disingenuous security concerns, the Bush Administration has sought to impose growing restrictions on [...]

Sentencing guidelines speech, Department of Justice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, June 21, 2005 . Excerpt: The key to this system was a set of mandatory sentencing guidelines that specified a range within which federal judges were bound to impose sentences, absent unusual circumstances. The guidelines reflected a careful balancing by Congress and the Sentencing Commission [...]

Hosty, et al. v. Carter and Governors State University, et al., United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, June 20, 2005 . Excerpt: Let us not forget that academic freedom includes the authority of the university to manage an academic community and evaluate teaching and scholarship free from interference by other units of [...]