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WORLD LAW Yemen: terrorist haven? Yemeni law takes the spotlight as authorities investigate possible terrorism associated with the recent explosion of a oil tanker off Yemen's coast. MORE WORLD LAW
FAMOUS TRIALS OJ revisited From the JURIST archives - Professor Douglas Linder takes a look back at the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman [October 2000]. MORE FAMOUS TRIALS
MILOSEVIC TRIAL Is Slobodan Milosevic getting a fair trial? "As days pass it appears that spanners are constantly thrown into the works to make life difficult for Slobo. However his tenacity has impressed me and his experience in the legal field has helped him along.
..." - Aleksander Misic, Australia JOIN THE DISCUSSION MORE ON WAR CRIMES
PAPERCHASE
New cases, documents, links and updates...
Saturday, October 05, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... Bush: use of force against Iraq "may become unavoidable"
In his weekly radio address Saturday, President Bush said that the US would "never seek war unless it is essential to security and justice", but the use of force against Iraq "may become unavoidable", in which case the US "will work with other nations to help the Iraqi people rebuild and form a just government." MORE ON JURIST: IRAQ NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 3:40 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Senate, House agree on electoral reform package
House and Senate conference negotiators agreed Friday on wide-ranging election reform legislation (HR 3295, the Help America Vote Act). Senate sponsor Christopher Dodd and House sponsor Robert Ney issued statements. Details from NPR. MORE ON JURIST: ELECTION REFORM NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:41 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Philip Morris to appeal $28B verdict Philip Morris says it will appeal Friday's California jury verdict awarding a former smoker $28 billion in damages. Details on the verdict from NPR and the BBC. MORE ON JURIST: TOBACCO LITIGATION NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:11 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... CIA report details Iraqi non-compliance with UN Resolutions
A new CIA report released Friday examines nine U.N. resolutions relating to Iraq and outlines Iraq's alleged development of "weapons of mass destruction" in breach of those resolutions.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:05 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Milosevic jousts with judge as trial continues Listen to Friday's proceedings in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Fribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague. Details from the BBC. MORE ON JURIST: MILOSEVIC TRIAL
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:00 AM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... Declaration of the Rights of Man ratified
On this day in 1789, French King Louis XVI ratified the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 10:55 AM | #
Friday, October 04, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... New Jersey Democrats file ballot response in US Supreme Court
[UPDATED] New Jersey Democrats filed a pleading[PDF] Friday in the US Supreme Court setting out their opposition to Republican Senate candidate Doug Forrester's application for stay[PDF] of Wednesday's New Jersey Supreme Court decision authorizing New Jersey Democrats to replace Senator Robert Torricelli's name on the November ballot. Current ballot information is available from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. The relevant provision of the New Jersey election law (NJSA 19:13-20) is also online. MORE ON JURIST: US SUPREME COURT
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:31 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Ashcroft announces new terror charges
[UPDATED] US Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Friday that 6 people - including 5 US citizens - have been indicted[PDF] on charges of being part of a terrorist cell. Watch recorded video of the Attorney General's announcement on C-SPAN. A detailed FBI statement is also online.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 5:17 PM | #
BREAKING NEWS... Lindh sentenced to 20 years
CNN is reporting that John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban" has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for supplying services to the Taliban and carrying weapons. The sentencing order has not yet been posted on the case website. Lindh's plea agreement is online from the US Department of Justice. MORE ON JURIST: JOHN WALKER LINDH
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 4:38 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... 3rd Circuit: school anti-harassment policy banning T-shirt went too far
The US Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled[PDF] Thursday that a New Jersey school district anti-harassment policy under which a student was suspended for wearing a T-shirt featuring "redneck jokes" by comic Jeff Foxworthy unconstitutionally infringed the student's First Amendment rights. MORE ON JURIST: CASES & STATUTES
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 1:26 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Senate passes Justice Department oversight act
The Senate Thursday passed the Justice Department Authorizations Act [HR 2215], the first Justice Department authorization bill slated to become law in more than two decades. The legislation, covering a wide range of areas from terrorism to judicial appointments, now goes to President Bush for signature. MORE ON JURIST: US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 10:48 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Law professors circulate letter opposing Iraq war
A group of law professors who protested the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision are circulating a letter opposing war against Iraq.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 10:21 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Senate debates Iraq Use of Force Resolution
[UPDATED] On Friday the Senate debatedSJ 45, a resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq (video via FedNet).
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:56 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... US Supreme Court asked to stay Torricelli ballot ruling
In a pleading filed Thursday, New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Doug Forrester asked the US Supreme Court to stay[PDF] enforcement of a Wednesday New Jersey Supreme Court ruling[PDF] authorizing New Jersey Democrats to replace Senator Robert Torricelli's name on the November ballot. MORE ON JURIST: US SUPREME COURT
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:45 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Milosevic trial continues
Recorded video proceedings from Wednesday and Thursday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague are now online. MORE ON JURIST: MILOSEVIC TRAIL NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:33 AM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... First American legal code
On this day in 1636, the General Court of Plymouth Colony instituted North America's first legal code. The code guaranteed citizens a trial by jury and stipulated that all laws were to be made with the consent of the freemen of the colony.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:25 AM | #
Thursday, October 03, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... President lectures Senate on Estrada: "treat this man with respect"
Speaking Thursday to Hispanic leaders, President Bush urged the US Senate to confirm Miguel Estrada to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals: "I have named a really good man to the bench, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, named Miguel Estrada. And I expect the United States Senate to treat this man with respect. I don't want to see the same thing that happened to some of my other candidates, in that they distort his record. I don't want them to distort his record like they did Ms. Owen's or Mr. Pickering. For the sake of a good, strong federal bench, for the sake of recognizing this man's intelligence and his capabilities, the Senate needs to confirm Miguel Estrada."
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:31 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... ACLU launches Supreme Court Watch for 2002
The American Civil Liberties Union launched a new Supreme Court Watch website Thursday highlighting its position on key civil liberties cases coming up in the US Supreme Court's 2002-03 term, which starts next Monday. MORE ON JURIST: US SUPREME COURT NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 10:41 AM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... Federal income tax law signed
On this day in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act, which created the first federal income tax (1% on income between $3000 and $20,000) pursuant to the newly-ratified 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:40 AM | #
Wednesday, October 02, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... NJ Supreme Court: Democrats can replace Torricelli
[UPDATED]The New Jersey state Supreme Court ruled[PDF] Wednesday that the New Jersey Democratic Party can replace Senator Robert Torricelli's name on the November ballot, noting that "the election statutes should be liberally construed to allow the greatest scope for public participation in the electoral process, to allow candidates to get on the ballot, to allow parties to put their candidates on the ballot, and most importantly, to allow the voters a choice on Election Day." Watch the oral arguments in this case via C-SPAN. Republicans plan to appeal Thursday to the United States Supreme Court.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:24 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... DOJ announces fraud charges against former Enron CFO
[UPDATED] US Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson announced Wednesday that former Enron Chief Financial Officer Andrew S. Fastow has been charged in a criminal complaint with securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with the Enron Corp.'s multibillion-dollar collapse. Watch the DOJ news conference via C-SPAN. MORE ON JURIST: ENRON NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 6:50 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Ashcroft defends secrecy, detentions Speaking Tuesday to the US Attorneys Conference in New York, US Attorney General John Ashcroft insisted that "We cannot risk damaging the security of the United States by publicizing the names of those detained in our investigation, or by allowing the potential release of individuals the President, pursuant to his war powers, has designated as enemy combatants, or by re-erecting the barriers blocking law enforcement and intelligence community cooperation." The ACLU responded to the address by saying that Ashcroft "showed contempt for the rule of law." MORE ON JURIST: US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 3:22 PM | #
NEW ON JURIST... Lessons from the Web In the October installment of JURIST's series on law teaching with technology, Professor Kathy Cerminara, Director of the Master's in Health Law Program at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, discusses the challenges of Developing an Online Degree Program. MORE ON JURIST: LESSONS FROM THE WEB
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 2:36 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Former Bosnian Serb President pleads guilty to crimes against humanity Former Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic has struck a plea agreement[PDF] with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), pleading guilty to some charges of crimes against humanity, the court announced Wednesday. Her counsel said that she had not agreed to testify in any other Tribunal proceeding (such as that against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic).
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 12:28 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Iraq resolution approved by Congressional leaders [UPDATED] Meeting with President Bush Wednesday, House Democratic leaders agreed with Republicans on a Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq requiring the President to certify to Congress - before any military strike, if feasible, or within 48 hours of a U.S. attack - that diplomatic and other peaceful means alone "will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq" or are "not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions." Watch the official announcement by the President and House leaders at the White House. MORE ON JURIST: IRAQ NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:46 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB.. Civil rights groups urge Senate Judiciary Committee to nix Shedd nomination Twenty national civil rights organizations urged the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday to reject the nomination of US District Judge Dennis Shedd to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Shedd nomination, scheduled for a committee vote this Thursday, has drawn fire from groups that feel that Shedd has demonstrated hostility in civil rights cases involving minorities, women and persons with disabilities.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:19 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... 7th Circuit says U. Wisconsin distribution of student fees constitutional The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled[PDF] Tuesday that the University of Wisconsin's method of distributing mandatory student fees to campus organizations is constitutional. Overturning a lower court, the judges said that the standards used in distributing grants were sufficient to guarantee neutrality. MORE ON JURIST: CASES & STATUTES
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 8:11 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Croatian President confronts Milosevic at war crimes trial [UPDATED]In the first confrontation between national leaders at a war crimes trial, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic testified Tuesdayat the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague. Mesic testified that Milosevic "subordinated everything to his war goals" in the Balkans. Recorded video of proceedings from Friday, Monday and is now also online. MORE ON JURIST: MILOSEVIC TRIAL NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:53 AM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... Thurgood Marshall sworn in as Supreme Court Justice On this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American to be sworn in as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Read the FBI dossier on Justice Marshall relating to his activities with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and investigations conducted in connection with his appointment as a Federal Judge and Supreme Court Justice (released under the Freedom of Information Act).
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:30 AM | #
Tuesday, October 01, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... Plaintiffs in U. Mich. case seek cert before 6th Circuit rules The Center for Individual Rights petitioned[PDF] the US Supreme Court Tuesday to review Gratz v. Bollinger, its challenge to minority admissions preferences at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The request is extraordinary, because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has yet to issue its decision in the case. CIR had previously petitioned the Court to hear Grutter v. Bollinger, a companion case in which the Sixth Circuit upheld admissions preferences at the University of Michigan Law School. MORE ON JURIST: US SUPREME COURT NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:38 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... DOJ Inspector General: FBI "has not adequately assessed" terrorist threat In a redacted and unclassified executive summary of a US Department of Justice audit of FBI counterterrorism operations, the Inspector General has said that the agency "has not adequately assessed" the threat or risk of terrorism. The FBI issued its response to the findings Tuesday. MORE ON JURIST: FBI NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 5:06 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... President regards Jerusalem law as unconstitutional President Bush has said that provisions in the new Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal year 2003 (H.R. 1646) calling for U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (s. 214) impermissibly interfere with the constitutional functions of the presidency in foreign affairs and would be regarded as advisory, not mandatory.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 4:37 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Pennsylania Supreme Court asked to protect anonymous online speech In the first case of its kind ever to reach a state supreme court, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court[PDF] Tuesday to protect anonymous speakers in cyberspace who face legal intimidation from public officials whom they criticize.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 1:54 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Senate holds Supreme Court hearing [UPDATED] The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on Narrowing the Nation's Power: The Supreme Court Sides with the States, the subject (and title) of a recent book by Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Witnesses were Judge Noonan and Professor Marci Hamilton, Cardozo School of Law.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:00 AM | #
NEW ON JURIST... Latest law reviews JURIST features the Tables of Contents of the latest law reviews received, plus a run-down of what's catching our eye in the latest edition of the Current Index to Legal Periodicals. MORE ON JURIST: LAW REVIEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 10:14 AM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Lessig, Hunt testify on broadband [UPDATED] The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a hearing Tuesday on "Government's Role in Promoting the Future of the Telecommunications Industry and Broadband Deployment." Witnesses included Professor Lawrence Lessing [PDF], Stanford Law School and Reed Hundt[PDF], former chairman, FCC.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 9:25 AM | #
NEW ON JURIST... Interpreting God's Justice: Tribe v. Wilentz on Scalia In a special edition of JURIST's Forum, Harvard constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe debates Princeton historian Sean Wilentz in a provocative exchange of letters discussing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's views on the death penalty, democracy, religion and the Constitution. MORE ON JURIST: FORUM
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:30 AM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... Birthday of Chief Justice William Rehnquist Today is the birthday of US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He's 78. Listen to remarks by President Ronald Reagan at the swearing-in ceremony for Chief Justice Rehnquist (joined by new Associate Justice Antonin Scalia) in 1986 (via the History Channel). MORE ON JURIST: US SUPREME COURT NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:08 AM | #
Monday, September 30, 2002 NEW ON THE WEB... Moussaoui trial postponed until June US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered Monday that the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui be postponed until June 20, 2003. The Order was made after Moussaoui petitioned the court for a six-month continuance because of both the overwhelming quantity of discovery materials in this case and the disruption to his trial preparation caused by the search of his cell area for inadvertently disclosed classified materials. The US joined in Moussaoui's request. MORE ON JURIST: MOUSSAOUI TRIAL NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 5:01 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Senate floor debate on Homeland Security legislation[UPDATED] The Senate Monday resumed consideration of H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Act [video via FedNet]. MORE ON JURIST: HOMELAND SECURITY
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 3:18 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Judge dismisses cellphone cancer lawsuit US District Judge Catherine C. Blake Monday dismissed[PDF] an $800 million lawsuit brought by a Maryland doctor claiming cell phones gave him brain cancer. Judge Blake noted evidence that radiation from cell phones may cause cancer, but concluded that there was no sufficient scientific showing of a relationship between tumors and cell phones. The cellphone industry has welcomed the ruling. MORE ON JURIST: CASES & STATUTES
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 2:41 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Moussaoui wants his cell photographed In papers filed Monday, Standby Counsel for Zacarias Moussaoui has asked US District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema for an order allowing a representative of the Office of the Federal Public Defender to photograph and videotape his cell and adjoining workroom[PDF]. Moussaoui has repeatedly petitoned the court for more room in which to prepare his defense - see e.g., Motion to Get a Bigger Cave to Prepare the WTC (World Top Circus) (filed Aug. 19, 2002, under seal); Motion to Expulse the United States from the Arabian Discovery Cave (filed Aug. 27, 2002, under seal); Standby Counsel’s Response in Support of Pro Se Defendant Moussaoui’s “Motion to Get Time Out Added in the Dirty Game of U.S.” and “Motion to Get a Bigger Cave to Prepare the WTC (World Top Circus)” (filed Sept. 19, 2002, under seal). MORE ON JURIST: MOUSSAOUI TRIAL NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 1:53 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... War crimes tribunal indicts Bosnian Serb commander for Srebrenica massacre The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at the Hague announced Monday that it had indicted Ljubomir Borovcanin in connection with the killing of Muslims after the Serb takeover of the Srebrenica enclave in the mid-1990s. MORE ON JURIST: WAR CRIMES NEWS
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 12:47 PM | #
NEW ON THE WEB... Rights groups turn up heat on Homeland Security legislation The ACLU and other civil liberties groups pressed Monday for greater protection of constitutional rights[PDF] in the new Homeland Security bill as a key amendment to that legislation faced a cloture vote in the Senate. Protections called for included the hiring of a high-level privacy and civil rights officer within the new department, a provision forbidding the Operation TIPS program, a repeal of a recent law allowing the Customs Service to use racial profiling in its enforcement and better protections for immigrants, especially children. MORE ON JURIST: HOMELAND SECURITY
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 12:38 PM | #
THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... First execution in the American colonies On this day in 1630, John Billington was hanged for murder in Plymouth, Massachusetts, becoming the first person executed in the American colonies.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 7:20 AM | #
Sunday, September 29, 2002 THIS DAY IN LEGAL HISTORY... Congress invokes War Powers Act for the first time On this day in 1983, Congress invoked the War Powers Act for the first time, authorizing President Reagan to keep U.S. Marines in Lebanon another 18 months.
Posted by Bernard Hibbitts at 11:08 AM | #
Join Harvard law professor 
MORE ON JURIST: 
Speaking Tuesday to the US Attorneys Conference in New York, 
In the October installment of JURIST's series on law teaching with technology, Professor Kathy Cerminara, Director of the Master's in Health Law Program at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, discusses the challenges of 
Former Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic has struck a 
[UPDATED] Meeting with President Bush Wednesday, House Democratic leaders agreed with Republicans on a 
[UPDATED] The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday on 
Twenty national civil rights organizations 
The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 
On this day in 1967, 
The Center for Individual Rights 
In a redacted and unclassified 
President Bush has said that provisions in the new Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal year 2003 (H.R. 1646) calling for U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (s. 214) 
JURIST features the Tables of Contents of the 
In a special edition of JURIST's Forum, Harvard constitutional scholar 
Today is the birthday of US Supreme Court Chief Justice 
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema 
