Acting at the instance of President Lucio Gutierrez, the Ecuadorian Congress has narrowly voted to dismiss all 31 members of the country's Supreme Court on grounds that the institution had become too politicized. The mass dismissal, approved by 52 of the Congress's 100 members, is being sharply criticized by opposition politicians as unconstitutional and likely [...]

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has announced that his state will sue the federal government to block enforcement of the so-called Weldon amendment, a provision in a massive federal appropriations bill awaiting signature by President Bush that could deny California federal funds if it is found to discriminate against any health care provider because they [...]

CTV News is reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has approved a proposed federal law that would make same-sex marriage legal across Canada. Lower courts in six Canadian provinces and one territory have already ruled that the traditional legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional under the Canadian [...]

Judge Charles Pickering, named by President Bush to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals through a "recess appointment" in January of this year after his regular nomination stalled in the Senate, has said he is retiring and will make a formal announcement to that effect Thursday. Pickering's nomination was bitterly opposed by Democrats and [...]

A Pentagon spokeman has said that four members of an elite US military special operations team have received administrative punishment for using Tasers – electronic stun guns – on Iraqi prisoners. Taser devices subdue human targets by delivering a shock of up to 50,000 volts that disrupts muscle activity. The Pentagon spokeman said said the [...]

KP Permanent Make-up Inc. v. Lasting Impression, United States Supreme Court per Justice Souter, December 8, 2004 . Read the opinion here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

AP is reporting that the Senate has passed the revised conference version of the intelligence reform bill adopted yesterday by the House. 5:20 PM ET – The vote was 89-2. Reuters now has a story here.

US District Judge Charles Kocoras of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled Wednesday that the Chicago Board of Education must make room for black and Latino students in its predominately white schools. Additionally, the school district must reallocate funds to students in racially isolated schools. The US Department of Justice [...]

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed on logistical terms governing the upcoming vote for President of the Palestinian Authority, according to a senior Palestinian negotiator speaking Wednesday. The terms for the poll will be the same as they were for a similar vote in 1996. At that time residents of east Jerusalem were allowed to [...]

A new federal regulation issued Wednesday requires all passenger vehicles sold in the United States to have both shoulder and lap belts in the rear center seat by the 2008 model year. Most passenger vehicles already have the belt combination, but they exist in only about half of current pickup and sport utilities, many of [...]