Judiciary

The MCPXnewly established parliamentary caucus on the integrity and independence of the judiciary did not get off to a good start today when only one Barisan MP attended its meeting and the BN Backbenchers Club (BBC) members refusing to join in.According to Karpal Singh, the newly-appointed caucus chairperson, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz was the only Barisan MP i

CNews NEW YORK: Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who is under U.S. detention on charges of attempted murder, does not have faith in the American judicial system and insists that the case against her is false and baseless, according to the head of a Pakistani parliamentary delegation which met her in Texas on Tuesday. Mushahid, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a press conference in New Yo

Supreme Court (SC) ruled and came up with the decision over the five Court of Appeals (CA) justices who were involved in the Meralco-GSIS case. CA Associate Justice Vicente Roxas for multiple violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct, grave misconduct and dishonesty while slapped Justice Jose Sabio with a two-month suspension for conduct unbecoming of a CA justice. Also, the court reprimanded CA

A bill intended to prevent parties from using the federal judicial process to conceal matters that harm the public health or safety circumvents the prescribed method of changing court rules, a federal judge told a congressional subcommittee.U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz of Connecticut testified in behalf of the Judicial Conference of the United States before the House Subcommittee on Commercial

Student Government Judicial Branch: The purpose of the Student Judiciary is to uphold the dignity of the FIU Student Constitution. This section of student government is made up of a Chief Justice and four confirmed Justices (which includes an Assoc. Chief Justice and an Assoc. Parliamentarian). The Student Judiciary works as a High Court to determine [...]

After insisting for nearly two years that impeachment was strictly "off the table," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be changing her tune. The Democratic leader said Thursday that the House Judiciary Committee could be holding hearings on impeachment articles introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) sometime in the near future. After introducing 35 articles of impeachment against Preside

Tens of thousands of protesting Pakistani lawyers and their supporters are marching toward the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in what's been dubbed a "Long March" to demand the reinstatement of the country's chief justice and 60 other judges who were sacked last year by President Pervez Musharraf, who they want to resign.RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique spoke to Latif Afridi, a leader of the

Hirondelle News Agency31 May 2008 A Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has turned down Prosecutor’s motion of transfer of genocide accused former businessman, 73-year-old Yusuf Munyakazi, to stand a trial in Kigali as part of the UN Court’s completion strategy. In a decision rendered on Wednesday, the three-bench judges ruled that [...]

AFP29 May 2008 The UN-backed tribunal for Rwanda has refused to refer a case related to the country’s 1994 genocide to the small central African state’s courts, saying the state cannot guarantee a fair trial. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) judges denied the chief prosecutor’s request to transfer Yussuf Munyakazi — a Rwandan trader facing [...]

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday said we have committed to the nation to restore the constitution of 1973, restore the judiciary and ensure independence of judiciary and media.Gilani said the new coalition government believes in policy of national reconciliation aimed at taking the nation forward, and has vowed not to repeat mistakes of the past.Addressing participants of the 88th National Management Course under the National School of Public Policy, here at the PM House, the Prime Minister said “we want reconciliation and want to have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to take our nation on path of progress.”The Prime Minister said the challenges confronting the country require all political forces to stand united by rising above petty differences and work for

KARACHI: Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza said that she would urge the government to resolve the problems being faced by journalist community.Talking to newsmen at 'Meet the Press' program of Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday, she said that the PPP government would also fulfill its promise to allot more residential plots to KPC members. She said that KPC lease issue would also be solved and relevant authorities be contacted in this regard.She called on journalists to support democratic and political forces, as only they could resolve the problems of masses. She said that the PPP had fulfilled its promise for abolishing the Pemra Ordinance.Shehla Raza claimed that a powerful group was involved to rape women at Mazar-e-Quaid over last many years and there were more accused than

The pardon power has received a little more attention than usual in the state of Illinois given the fact that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has yet to act on the case of Alton Logan and is being scrutinzed for the pardon of Chandra Gill. Now federal Judge Joan Gotschall has informed Blagojevich that he cannot sit indefinitely on pardon applications. The decision - which can be downloaded as a .pdf file here - was issued in response to a case brought by ten felons who are seeking executive clemency. Seven of them have already had applications denied. Judge Gotschall interprets the Illinois constitution to require the governor to make decisions on pardon applications "within a reasonable period of time." Margaret Love, the Justice Department's chief pardon attorney from 1990-1997, says she hopes

The first--and so far, only--Capitol Hill committee to place a hearing about Microsoft's $44.6 billion Yahoo bid on its calendar is now postponing that event. The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's antitrust task force has postponed a scheduled Feb 8 meeting to look into the yahoo microsoft deal.A new date has not been set at this time. The senate antitrust panel says it is set

The CIA's official explanation for destroying at least two videotapes depicting severe interrogation techniques "fails the straight-face test," according to an expert witness who testified on Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee.read more | digg story

Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting on A.G. Nominee Mukasey FULL STREAMING VIDEO. The Senate Judiciary Committee holds an executive business meeting to consider the nomination of Michael Mukasey as U.S. Attorney General. Mukasey must receive ten votes from the Senate Judiciary Committee for his nomination to advance to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation. 11/6/2007: WASHINGTON, DC: 1 hr. 45 min.President Bush Pleased by Vote to Forward Nomination of Judge Mukasey to Full SenateWe appreciate the vote of senators on the Judiciary Committee to forward the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to the full Senate. Judge Mukasey has clearly demonstrated that he will be an exceptional Attorney General at this critical time.The Justice Department is crucial to both our law enforcement and national security missions, and so we look forward to a vote in the full Senate to confirm Judge Mukasey, allowing us to move to filling the senior leadership positions at the Just

Get a judgment somewhere in China. Then try to collect. There is little value in a judgment when the authorities flout its enforcement. Read this Washington Post article. The local government, against whom the judgment was entered, won’t pay and can’t be forced to. Yuci township, the subject of the story, is not a rogue element (although it may be run by rogues); in fact, it displays typical administrative behavior. It might possibly disgorge its illegal gain if a superior authority compels it to — a strategy used by a number of American bankers collecting on bad loans in China (”The governor of the province is a personal friend of mine, and if you don’t give me my $23.6 million today I will be having lunch with him tomorrow). But then, the judiciary is once again circumvented by the power structure which would — or would pretend? — to espouse judicial independence in the first place Read Original Post Here

Get a judgment somewhere in China. Then try to collect. There is little value in a judgment when the authorities flout its enforcement. Read this Washington Post article. The local government, against whom the judgment was entered, won’t pay and can’t be forced to. Yuci township, the subject of the story, is not a rogue element (although it may be run by rogues); in fact, it displays typical administrative behavior. It might possibly disgorge its illegal gain if a superior authority compels it to — a strategy used by a number of American bankers collecting on bad loans in China (”The governor of the province is a personal friend of mine, and if you don’t give me my $23.6 million today I will be having lunch with him tomorrow). But then, the judiciary is once again circumvented by the power structure which would — or would pretend? — to espouse judicial independence in the first place Read Original Post Here

Mid Day, a Delhi tabloid, ran a series of stories in May which said Y.K. Sabharwal, until recently the most powerful man in the Indian judiciary, had used his office to benefit his sons' businesses, among other allegations. Last week, Delhi High Court sentenced two editors who reported the stories, the paper's publisher and a cartoonist to four months in jail for criminal contempt of court, although they were released on bail while they appeal. - Reuters India, 28 September 2007

An interesting article from Lim Kit Siang, a Malaysian opposition leader (DAP). He wrote:"Anwar Ibrahim has produced an explosive video clip on Judiciary Compromised which has set off reverberations in the Palace of Justice, the corridors of power, offices and homes in the country as well as internationally. The time for reckoning for the restoration of a truly independent judiciary and a just rule of law cannot be put off any longer. Malaysiakini has carried the transcript of the conversation between lawyer V.K. Lingam with Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz sometime in 2002, as recorded in the videoclip, viz: “The CJ said he is relative to now Agong, so he wants to stay on to 68, so, Tengku Adnan, I told Tengku Adnan, yesterday I had a meeting with him. He said PM is already very angry with him, he said no problem he is going to make you acting err.. confirm your position as PCA, working very hard then working very hard to get Tan Sri Mokhtar as CJM. Ah, we just keep it c

As several authors at The Seminal have argued in this issue, democracy cannot exist without the institutions and practices needed to support its function and process. In America and elsewhere, those institutions include, among others, the offices in the Legislative and Judicial branches, which work alongside the Executive to ensure the country’s success. In recent years, the Judiciary has played an increasingly important role, supporting and promoting the principles of freedom and democracy. From recent history, a series of examples illustrate the importance of maintaining and supporting an impartial judiciary, even if it stands in opposition to the Executive. More than Electing Leaders: As several writers at The Seminal have argued since the debut of our first article for August’s Worldwide Democracy issue, there is more to democracy than a democratically elected leader. While democracy is often touted as the end-all-be-all for national troubles, democracy, however, doe

What if a data packet could be purposely sent through the U.S. networks? What if Joe Blow in California and Joe Dunno in New York were having a conversation via cell phone or some other wireless communication device? What if the recent legislation passed before the kids in DC went on summer recess hadn’t been passed at all? For one The NY Times editors and perhaps the FISA would be pleased with this turn of events, as the editors this morning made clear they don’t care for the president viewing his role in intelligence gathering as constitutional. FISA might be happy as a recent ruling protected foreign to foreign communications; so Mahmoud and Mustapha in Pakistan or elsewhere would be protected in their communications with each other while planning an attack in the U.S., unless of course as proscribed by the FISA court, a warrant were obtained. If you read or have read Andrew C. McCarthy today at NRO you might wonder where exactly the Times and other Leftists get their

The Senate’s Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the Executive Branch in regards to civil liberties, and is therefore investigating the domestic wiretapping, has subpoenaed the White House. In times past, subpoenas have been more or less ignored, and I see no particular reason to think this time will be any different. The subpoena is for the executive branch’s (plus Cheney’s) legal justification for warrantless wiretapping, which has been formally requested nine times in the past from the White House and Justice Department. White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that the program was “lawful, limited, safeguarded and — most importantly — effective in protecting American citizens from terrorist attacks.” Power needs to be separated, knowledge should not, otherwise there’s no way to know if power is. Unless you want to take Fratto’s word for it, there’s no way to know if the wiretaps are any of the things he says

The Senate’s Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the Executive Branch in regards to civil liberties, and is therefore investigating the domestic wiretapping, has subpoenaed the White House. In times past, subpoenas have been more or less ignored, and I see no particular reason to think this time will be any different. The subpoena is for the executive branch’s (plus Cheney’s) legal justification for warrantless wiretapping, which has been formally requested nine times in the past from the White House and Justice Department. White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that the program was “lawful, limited, safeguarded and — most importantly — effective in protecting American citizens from terrorist attacks.” Power needs to be separated, knowledge should not, otherwise there’s no way to know if power is. Unless you want to take Fratto’s word for it, there’s no way to know if the wiretaps are any of the things he says

I rarely post about technology or technology companies for their own sake, but there are a handful of each that have such an influence on everyday life that I just can't help it. Google falls into this category, and would be even if it weren't poised to enter - and disrupt - the nascent ehealth market.Google's reach and grasp is growing, and their recent attempt to sue their way into a new market has prompted a lot of people with an interest in the topic to take a side for or against the search giant - at least on the topic of desktop search, if not on their business practices in general (mostly against in this particular case).I've said it before and I'll say it again: I would never deny the superior performance of Google's search engine, but I find the public fascination with - and market valuation of - Google utterly incomprehensible. I've long felt that someone (not necessarily in a toga) needs to stand behind Eric Schmidt and his legal team and tell them in no uncertain t

Sara Taylor, former White House political director who reported directly to Karl Rove, was subpoenaed on Wednesday for documents and testimony regarding the U.S. attorney firings. On Wednesday, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees issued subpoenas for former Bush aides Sara M. Taylor and Harriet Miers. Harriet Miers was President Bush’s former White House counsel and Sara Taylor was the former White House political director who worked directly for Karl Rove. The showdown continues between Capital Hill Democrats and President Bush over Attorney General Gonzales and testimony over the firing of 9 U.S. attorneys last year with the issue of these subpoenas. President Bush has said previously that he would not allow his aides to testify publicly. “By refusing to cooperate with congressional committees, the White House continues its pattern of confrontation over cooperation. The White House cannot have it both ways, it cannot stonewall congressional investigations by

The Indonesian government has been unable curb massive illegal logging in some of the world's largest rain forests because its judicial system remains weak and corrupt, a coalition of environmental groups charged Wednesday. Indonesia is losing 4 billion dollars a year from illegal exports of prime timber to China, Singapore and Malaysia through a crime syndicate run by powerful timber barons and politicians, supported by corrupt courts, police and customs officials, according to theLondon-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). "This system destroys the forests, threatens biodiversity, affectsforest communities and causes flooding," said Julian Newman, aninvestigator with EIA.

The New York court system’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has concluded that judges should not recuse themselves from cases where state legislators or members of their firms are representing parties before them solely because of the “long-standing issue of judicial salary increases pending before the Legislature.” As judicial morale sagged after the Legislature failed to enact a pay increase in December, several judges around the state began to take themselves off cases handled by legislators or members of their firms. Read it all: Law.com - N.Y. Judges Advised Not to Link Recusals to Pay Dispute Sponsored By: Images by Mike in WNY Unique and Original Buffalo Themed Gifts

Killing, whether it is perpetrated by an individual or by the state, is abominable. However, death penalty is a necessary evil, as a war sometimes is.   CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IS back in the news. Capital punishment or d

Better late than never. The Supreme Court is finally treading on the path of judicial activism, though slowly and steadily. The results are apparent with some brilliant and timely verdicts in the recent times.   OUR JUDICIAL S

Recent decisions taken by the Indian courts have helped in reaffirming the lost faith of the common citizens in the judiciary. These decisions reinforce that all citizens are equal before law.   MAKING A MARK in the judicial h

  One moment of blundering can destroy whole life. This is exemplified in the recent convictions, in which the three had moved on in life after committing the crime. As the dark past returns to haunt them, their convictions raise valid legal issues.