US business leaders Thursday debated possible new directions for the Securities and Exchange Commission following Wednesday's announcement by current SEC Chairman William Donaldson that he would be stepping down June 30. Donaldson led the drive to toughen corporate regulations and penalties in the wake of the Enron scandal and revelations of mutual fund fraud, but [...]

Protesters returned to the Supreme Court in Kyrgyzstan again on Thursday to demand the resignation of several judges. A violent clash on Wednesday initially ousted the protesters, who had occupied the building since April 22 following an election dispute that led to the overthrow of the hardline government of President Askar Akayev. Police Thursday allowed [...]

Wachovia Corp. , the fourth largest bank in the US, acknowledged Wednesday that two of its predecessor banks owned slaves prior to the Civil War and apologized for the practice. Wachovia had contracted with historical research firm The History Factory to look into the pasts of acquired banks, an increasingly common practice as legislative initiatives [...]

About 70 animal rights protestors marched and chanted in protest outside a Trenton New Jersey courtroom Wednesday as the trial of seven activists charged with domestic terrorism began. The activists are all members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty , a group opposed to the animal testing practices of British company Huntingdon Life Sciences which has [...]

After the second No to the EU constitution in four days was handed down by Dutch voters Wednesday , European leaders are struggling to keep the charter alive. Current EU President and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker has said that the double rejection from France and the Netherlands has put Europe in "a dangerous [...]

United States v. Ameline, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, June 1, 2005 . Read the full text of the opinion here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

AP is reporting that President Bush intends to nominate Congressman Christopher Cox (R-CA) as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Republican officials. Current SEC Chairman William Donaldson announced earlier Wednesday that he would be stepping down effective June 30 .

HB 1041, Women's Health Care, signed into law by Florida Governor Jeb Bush on May 31, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

AFL-CIO v. Chao, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, May 31, 2005 . Excerpt: Because section 208 limits the Secretary's authority to promulgate rules requiring financial reporting to what she determines is "necessary to prevent" circumvention or evasion of a union's Title II reporting requirements, we hold that to the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that federal inmates in western states within its jurisdiction may challenge their sentences. The case, United States v. Ameline , follows the US Supreme Court ruling earlier this year in United States v. Booker where the high court ruled that federal judges were not [...]