The Texas House of Representatives has passed legislation which would bar homosexuals from becoming foster parents. The ban, part of the state's attempt to revamp its Child Protective Services Agency , passed 135-6 Tuesday with two abstentions and now goes to the state Senate. According to the American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian and Gay rights [...]

Chicago Cardinal Francis George said Wednesday that new pope Benedict XVI , will preserve the church law giving bishops broad power to discipline sexually abusive priests. George said he had previously told then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of the need to keep the law which avoids the lengthy Vatican process for ousting a priest from the church. [...]

The UN Human Rights Commission Thursday passed a resolution condemning rights abuses in Sudan. The final text, supported by the US, the EU, other African nations and even Sudan itself, only passed after a compromise was reached on wording that also praised the Sudanese government's efforts to improve the situation in Darfur . The resolution [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Thursday, April 21. The US Senate convenes at 9:30 AM ET today. It will begin an executive session at 10:30 AM ET to consider the nomination of John Negroponte as National Intelligence Director, and then resume consideration of H.R. 1268 [...]

Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, signed into law by President George W. Bush, April 21, 2005. Read the full text of the legislation as signed via THOMAS. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

School District of the City of Pontiac et al. v. Spellings, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, April 20, 2005 . Read the full text of the complaint . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Suspected terrorist Babar Ahmad announced Wednesday through his political party that he will run for election to the UK parliament on May 5 from his cell in Woodhill Prison in Buckinghamshire. Ahmad has been indicted in the US for operating a website that raised funds for Muslim militants in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Ahmad is running [...]

Robert Parton and Miranda Duncan, two investigators from a special panel appointed by the UN to investigate the United Nations Oil-For-Food program , resigned Wednesday in protest over a March report that they said was too lax on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Parton and Duncan accused the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by former US Federal [...]

The Italian Supreme Court Wednesday confirmed a lower court ruling to keep tube-feeding Eluana Englaro, in a vegetative state since a 1992 car accident. The appeal was brought by Englaro's father, who believes that she would have preferred to die. The court rejected the argument because there was no specific evidence on Englaro's views of [...]

The Connecticut Senate Wednesday voted 26-8 to approve legislation that would allow civil unions for same-sex couples but specifically defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The Connecticut House has already approved the bill and the measure will now go to Governor M. Jodi Rell for her signature. Rell has said [...]