The speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Rauhi Fattouh, will temporarily fill the post of president of the Palestinian Authority should Yasser Arafat die, Palestinian leaders confirmed Wednesday. Current Palestinian law (Article 54(2) of the Palestinian Basic Law) calls for the speaker to hold the position until elections can be held, but some officials were reportedly [...]

John D. Ashcroft to President George W. Bush, November 2, 2004 . Excerpt: The demands of justice are both rewarding and depleting. I take great personal satisfaction in the record which has been developed. The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved. The rule of law has been [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Wednesday, November 10. The US Supreme Court hears 10 AM ET arguments in two cases today. In the first, Illinois v. Caballes (case summary from Duke Law School), the Court will determine whether the Fourth Amendment requires a reasonable, articulabe [...]

Ashcroft v. State of Oregon, Petition for a Writ of Certiorai, Supreme Court of the United States, November 9, 2004 . Read the full text of the petition here . Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

Josue Leocal, Petitioner v. John D. Ashcroft, Attorney General, et. al., United States Supreme Court, Chief Justice Rehnquist, November 9, 2004 . Excerpt: This case does not present us with the question whether a state or federal offense that requires proof of the reckless use of force against a person or property of another qualifies [...]

The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused on Tuesday to reconsider a decision it made last year that the music group Beastie Boys could use short samples of others' music in its own songs. The practice of "sampling" has become widespread in the music industry. The 9th Circuit ruled in 2003 that the group [...]

In Tuesday's environmental law news, San Francisco CA officials announced a plan that would close the Hunters Point power plant (owned by Pacific Gas and Electric) by 2006 and the Potrero power plant (owned by Mirant Co.) by 2007. The plan, developed by the city and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), would scuttle the [...]

The UK High Court Tuesday referred a steelworkers' case against the government over lost pensions to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The former workers at Allied Steel and Wire claim the government should have protected their pensions when the company went bankrupt in 2002. The union, Community, has claimed that European directive would [...]

AP is reporting that Attorney General John Ashcroft has resigned from the Bush cabinet, along with Commerce Secretary Don Evans. Ashcroft's resignation had been expected by some observers, albeit perhaps not until January. Possible successors include Senator Orrin Hatch, currently chairman of the Senate Juidiciary Committee, and Bill Pryor, the former Alabama Attorney General controversially [...]

On the last day it could file an appeal, the US Department of Justice has asked the US Supreme Court to block the Oregon Death With Dignity Act which allows doctors to help terminally ill patients die more quickly. The appeal has been expected since May, when the US Ninth Circuit in San Francisco ruled [...]