Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Friday, Feb. 18. On Capitol Hill, the US Senate convenes at 10 AM ET for the reading of President George Washington's farewell address from 1796. The reading is an annual tradition before the Senate recesses for President’s Day. Watch a [...]

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005, passed by the US Senate, February 17, 2005 . Read the full text of the bill. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

The Iraqi prisoner who died while in US custody at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and whose corpse was shown in photographs that emerged from the abuse scandal died in a position known as "Palestinian hanging" while under CIA interrogation, according to unspecified documents reviewed by the Associated Press and reported Thursday. Manadel al-Jamadi's death was [...]

Citing a need for additional protections in light of advances in understanding the human genetic code, the Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 aimed at preventing employers and health insurers from discriminating against people who have a genetic predisposition to disease. Employers will be barred from basing hiring and [...]

Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi Thursday warned the Shiite coalition victorious in last month's election against banning the Ba'ath Party formerly associated with Saddam Hussein from any involvement in government, saying that would cause even greater upheaval and unrest in the region. In an AP interview, Allawi appealed for national unity, and urged the [...]

Leading Thursday's corporations and securities law news, the SEC has concluded Bear Stearns Cos. , the sixth-largest US securities firm, violated federal laws which protect investors when it aided brokers in making illegal after-hours mutual-fund trades. The SEC may announce today that it has reached a settlement with Brean Murray & Co. , a New [...]

The US House of Representatives has approved the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 , a bill intended to curb class action lawsuits by transfering most large, multi-state class actions to federal courts. The bill now goes to President Bush for expected signature. AP has more. 2:20 PM ET – House Judiciary Committee chairman James [...]

Six Rwandan citizens have filed a lawsuit in France against French soldiers for their role in the Rwanda genocide . The Paris army tribunal, the only court which can try French troops for conduct committed abroad, will decide whether to take the case. According to the plaintiffs, French troops allowed Rwandan troops and Hutu extremists [...]

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz Thursday ordered a halt to the razing of homes of Palestinian suicide bombers after a committee report showed that the policy had little deterrent effect and inflamed tensions with Palestinians. The policy was initiated in 2002 in an attempt to deter terrorists who did not want to leave their families [...]

A British permanent resident being held at Guantanamo Bay has been blinded in one eye after an assault by guards at the prison, according to his lawyer. UK human rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith said that Omar Deghayes lost sight in one eye after prison guards put pepper spray in his eyes and gouged one [...]