Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Wednesday, Feb. 9. The US Senate convenes today at 9:30 AM ET, and it continues debate of S. 5 , the Class Action Bill. Watch a live webcast via C-SPAN 2. The US House opens its daily session at 10 [...]

In Tuesday's environmental law news, chemical manufacturer W.R. Grace and Co. and some of its executive employees have been charged by federal prosecutors with 3 counts of violating the Clean Air Act , 4 counts of obstruction of justice, 2 counts of wire fraud and 1 count of conspiracy. The charges stem from an investigation [...]

A former Enron assistant treasurer reached an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle civil fraud charges stemming from the corporation's collapse for $300,000, the SEC announced Tuesday. Timothy DeSpain served with the corporation from 1999 to 2002 during which time Enron failed to disclose $5 billion in debt. DeSpain will also be [...]

Sudan's vice president maintained his government's opposition to any international criminal trials for war crimes committed in the Darfur region during a meeting with the UN Security Council Tuesday on Sudan . Vice President Ali Osman Taha and rebel leader John Garang briefed the Security Council on a peace agreement reached last month between northern [...]

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit Tuesday against 48 drug manufacturers, alleging fraud that cost Illinois residents hundreds of millions in a lawsuit similar to those filed by 19 other states. The drug companies, which include Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Johnson & Johnson, have been accused of publishing wholesale prices higher than those it [...]

The government's main witness in the criminal case against former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers testified Tuesday, directly linking Ebbers to the fraud and countering defense arguments that Ebbers did not understand the accounting schemes involved. Former CFO Scott Sullivan said Ebbers had a thorough understanding of the practices the corporation was engaging in and that [...]

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien testified Tuesday before a judicial commission of inquiry as part of an ongoing government investigation into a national unity program that resulted in $100 million in contracts being awarded to advertising firms with close ties to Chrétien's Liberal Party, with little return. No Canadian prime minister has testified before [...]

Kuwati Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah on Tuesday warned newspapers that publishing information about investigations of militants could result in the suspension or closure of those papers. Sheikh Sabah's commented that journalistic scoops could endanger security personnel and help fugitives. Kuwait's 1961 Press And Publishing Law, which has been opposed by civil rights activists, [...]

The European Union issued a draft document on Tuesday regarding the proliferation of digital rights management (DRM), often used to protect copyrighted software and music files. The EU's advisory body on data protection and privacy is specifically concerned about the way that DRM can be used to identify individuals and thus track people. For example, [...]

The US State Department Tuesday sharply criticized the selection of Cuba and Zimbabwe for positions on a panel that will set the agenda for the UN Human Rights Commission. "The United States believes that countries that routinely and systematically violate the rights of their citizens should not be selected to review the human rights performance [...]