US lawmakers urge media shield law
May 23, 2013
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the US House of Representative advocated Wednesday for a law that would shield the press from giving information to a federal entity unless certain conditions are met. The push for legislation comes in response to an incident in which the US Department of Justice....... [more] 
Federal appeals court rules bin Laden photos may remain classified
May 22, 2013
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has no legal obligation to release photos of Osama bin Laden after his death. The decision was in response to a Freedom of Information Act request seeking to have more than 50 photog....... [more]
Supreme Court rules on scope of federal agencies' jurisdiction
May 20, 2013
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Arlington v. FCC that courts must apply the Chevron framework to an agency's interpretation of a statutory ambiguity that concerns the scope of the agency's jurisdiction. The provision at issue, 47 USC § 332(c)(7) of the Federal Communications Act (FCA), sta....... [more]
Federal appeals court rules crack cocaine offenders have right to resentencing hearing
May 19, 2013
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Friday ruled that people convicted of crack cocaine offenses have a right to resentencing hearings under the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA). The case was brought by two incarcerated defendants seeking retroactive relief from racially discriminatory, 10-ye....... [more]
US appeals court denies asylum to German family wanting to homeschool
May 17, 2013
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday denied an appeal by a German family seeking asylum in the US in order to homeschool their children for religious reasons. The Romeike family alleged that Germany's ban against homeschooling caused them a well-founded fear of persecution based....... [more]
Massachusetts became first state to legalize same-sex marriage
May 17, 2013
On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the union to legalize same-sex marriage. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state's constitution prohibited a ban on same-sex marriage passed in November 2003. Attempts to rev....... [more]
Federal judge denies class action certification in Google copyright case
May 16, 2013
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday denied a motion to certify a putative class action against Google's YouTube involving copyright owners from around the world. Named plaintiffs included the English Premier League, the French Tennis Federation, the N....... [more]
UN rights chief urges Syrian rebels to end war crimes depicted in video
May 16, 2013
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said on Tuesday that the mutilation of a Syrian soldier seen in an Internet video should be investigated as a potential war crime. Pillay urged Syrian rebels to stop the "truly atrocious" acts. Although the video cannot be fully authenticated, it app....... [more]
Supreme Court to decide whether indigent plaintiffs can amend their complaints
May 13, 2013
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari Monday in Burnside v. Walters to determine whether the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit erred in holding that the in forma pauperis (IFP) statute prohibits indigent plaintiffs from amending their complaints. Arkansas resident William David Burnside, p....... [more]
France passed internet piracy bill
May 12, 2013
On May 12, 2006, the French National Assembly first approved an amended version of a controversial bill created to prevent Internet piracy. The bill proposed that Internet access be cut off for users who repeatedly illegally downloaded copyrighted material after they had received two warnings, and t....... [more]
US Senate approves bill allowing states to tax Internet purchases
May 7, 2013
The US Senate approved a bill on Monday that would subject online shopping, a traditionally tax-free frontier, to state sales taxes. The law currently maintains that retailers must have a physical presence in the state to collect sales taxes. Thus, many Internet retailers have an advantage with tax....... [more]
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