Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon , widely known for his high-profile investigations of terror and human rights cases, has urged an investigation into the crimes of former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco . Garzon, who has attempted to try former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet and al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, among others, has called for [...]

In an unexpected move Saturday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered a change in the country's election laws to allow multiple candidates to run in presidential elections. The change would allow for the first multi-candidate election in Egypt since the 1952 revolution. The announcement comes in the wake of increased demands from opposition leaders that Mubarak [...]

Financial Costs and Loss of Critical Skills Due to DOD's Homosexual Conduct Policy Cannot be Completely Estimated, Government Accountability Office , February 23, 2005 . Excerpt: The total costs of DOD's homosexual conduct policy cannot be estimated because DOD does not collect relevant cost data on inquiries and investigations, counseling and pastoral care, separation functions, [...]

Ward v. Utah, United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, Chief Circuit Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, February 23, 2005 . Excerpt: While Mr. Ward remains at liberty to advocate vigorously through lawful protests for the abolishment of the fur trade, we hold that section 76-3-203.3 is not facially unconstitutional or vague. Read the [...]

Joint Committee on Human Rights — Ninth Report, UK Parliament, February 25, 2005 . Read the full text of the report here. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday that the Sino-US Joint Liaison Group (JLG) has signed a joint agreement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of US and Chinese delegates in Beijing. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to cooperate and offer mutual legal assistance in the areas of illegal immigration, the extradition of [...]

A military tribunal in Osnabrueck, Germany has sentenced three British soldiers involved in the May 2003 abuse of Iraqi detainees at Camp Bread Basket, outside Basra. Cpl. Daniel Kenyon was sentenced to 18 months in prison for aiding and abetting an assault and for failing to report other incidents. Lance Cpl. Mark Cooley was jailed [...]

Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer ruled Friday to extend the stay on the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube for three more weeks. Greer made his decision after Schiavo's parents, who oppose the removal of the tube, asked the court to allow time for medical tests which might prove that Schiavo's mental capacity is [...]

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will enter into force Sunday, making the provisions of the treaty legally binding on countries that have ratified the convention . The FCTC, the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization , requires its signatories to implement measures ensuring that tobacco packaging has [...]

Richard Posner, University of Chicago Law School: "I approach the issue of immigration reform (theoretical reform – neither Becker nor I are considering the political obstacles to radical changes in immigration law) somewhat differently. I begin by asking: why restrict immigration at all? The only answer I consider fully compatible with a market-oriented approach to [...]