Gay rights groups have adopted a cautious legal approach to challenging 11 state constitutional bans on gay marriage adopted by referendum in the Nov. 2 elections. Many of the groups fear that an all-out legal assault on the new laws could create a backlash generate public hostility. Instead, groups such as the ACLU's lesbian and [...]

The Dutch parliament (official site in Dutch) Friday asked the government to draft laws restricting the employment of imams at Dutch mosques only to those who have studied Islam in the country. A vote on the new law was delayed after Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner said it may be considered discriminatory unless applied to [...]

The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that South Korea conducted illegal nuclear tests in the 1980s and 2000, in which it secretly extracted or enriched small amounts of plutonium and uranium. Although the tests did not produce enough uranium for a weapon and South Korea has repeatedly stressed it does not intend to build [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Friday, November 12. New Mexico is expected to complete its count of provisional ballots today, as required by NM Stat. Ann. s. 1-13-13. The NM Secretary of State has more. The US House and Senate are in recess until Tuesday, [...]

In re: Candidacy of Independance Party Candidates, James Moore et al. v. Mary Kiffmeyer, Secretary of State for Minnesota, Supreme Court of Minnesota, Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, November 10, 2004 . Excerpt: In the absence of any suggested rational purpose for the law, we have no difficulty concluding that by denying Independence Party candidates access [...]

Stanley Boim v. Quranic Literacy Institute, et. al., United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys, November 10, 2004 . Read the full text of the opinion here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Former Bush administration solicitor general Theodore Olson told the conservative Federalist Society's National Convention in Washington Thursday that Bush nominees to the Supreme Court would likely face a "political firestorm" in the Senate. Olson predicted that the President could make as many as three appointments in his second term, all of which could prove extremely [...]

The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe, which four years ago rejected government plans to seize thousands of white-owned farms and turn them over to black Zimbabweans, has upheld a controversial law passed in 2002 to enable the government to expand farm seizures. The Independent Online has more. Human Rights Watch has details on the human rights [...]

With vote counts showing a slim victory for write-in candidate Donna Frye, a Democratic city councilwoman and local "surfer-activist," a lawsuit has been filed to declare her candidacy illegal and 124 local judges have been excused from hearing the case due to potential conflicts of interest. Presiding Judge John Einhorn recused the entire San Diego [...]

In the wake of FCC crackdowns on media outlets, several broadcasters have changed Veterans' Day programming and a North Carolina radio station has banned the phrase "reproductive rights". ABC stations owned by Cox Television, Citadel Communications, Belo Corp., Hearst-Argyle, E.W. Scripps, and others are refusing to air Saving Private Ryan tonight, fearing six-figure fines and [...]