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DOJ dropping charges against Blackwater guard involved in 2007 Iraq shootings
9:40 AM ET, November 22
[JURIST] Federal prosecutors from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] indicated Friday that they will drop manslaughter charges against a Blackwater Worldwide [JURIST news archive] security guard who had been involved in the September 2007 shooting incident in Baghdad [JURIST... [full story]
Canada court orders review of US lesbian soldier refugee claim
10:09 AM ET, November 21
[JURIST] Canada's Federal Court [official website] Friday ordered a review [judgment, PDF] of a denial of refugee status for a lesbian US soldier who deserted the US Army in 2007 and fled to Canada. The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) originally rejected Bethany Smith's application in... [full story]
Federal judge orders release of Algerian held at Guantanamo
8:59 AM ET, November 21
[JURIST] A federal judge on Friday ordered the release [order, PDF] of Algerian Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee Farhi Saeed Bin Mohammed. Judge Gladys Kessler directed the government to "take all necessary and approrpriate steps to facilitate [Fari Saeed's] release forthwith." The... [full story]
Federal judge orders health benefits for same-sex spouse of federal employee
1:03 PM ET, November 20
[JURIST] A judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday ordered [text, PDF] the director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts (AO) [official website] to provide health benefits to the same-sex spouse of a federal employee. Karen Golinski, the... [full story]
Senate confirms Obama's earliest judicial nominee after delay
12:19 PM ET, November 20
[JURIST] The US Senate [official website] on Thursday voted 59-39 [roll call vote] to confirm Judge David Hamilton to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website], overcoming Republican opposition to secure President Barack Obama's first and longest-delayed judicial nominee.... [full story]
US only holdout on UN child rights treaty after Somalia announces intent to ratify
10:15 AM ET, November 20
[JURIST] The Somali Transitional Federal Government [official website] on Friday announced its intention to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) [official website], which, if successful, would make the US the only UN member state not to have done so. The UN International Children'... [full story]
Ninth Circuit upholds ruling to block advocacy intervention in Proposition 8 suit
9:43 AM ET, November 20
[JURIST] A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday affirmed [opinion, PDF] a lower court's denial [JURIST report] of a conservative advocacy group's motion to intervene in a challenge to Proposition 8 [text, PDF], California's... [full story]
New York high court rules same-sex spouses of state employees entitled to benefits
8:21 AM ET, November 20
[JURIST] The New York Court of Appeals [official website] on Thursday dismissed a challenge [opinion, PDF] to two policies that provide benefits to same-sex couples married outside of the state. The first policy was a 2006 decision by the Westchester County executive to extend benefits to same-sex... [full story]
UK court orders release of details of ex-Guantanamo detainee's treatment
2:38 PM ET, November 19
[JURIST] The UK High Court ruled [judgment text] Thursday that the details of the detention of Binyam Mohamed [JURIST news archive] in Pakistan in 2002 must be released. This most recent decision is the latest in a series of back and forth rulings on whether redacted materials regarding Mohamed's... [full story]
Federal judge finds Army Corps of Engineers liable for Katrina damage
10:35 AM ET, November 19
[JURIST] A judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] on Wednesday found [text, PDF] the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) [official website] negligent in its operation and maintenance of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) [USACE backgrounder].... [full story]
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