International Law

US seeks fugitive director Roman Polanski’s extradition from Poland over 1977 conviction

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have asked Poland to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski to the United States over his 1977 conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage girl, the Associated Press and Reuters report. The move is part of a recent flurry of activity in the long-running saga in which…

Jan 7, 2015 11:05 AM CST

International law bar takes aim at overbroad bans on Shariah law

The story of Florida's anti-Shariah law movement began three years ago with a courtroom bang, but it ended last May in a legislative whimper.

Jan 1, 2015 6:05 AM CST

How can you advise clients about Ebola? ABA’s Health Law Section offers learning opportunities

Almost from the moment a U.S. hospital received its first patient from the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the possibility that the disease could spread to this country became a matter of legal concern as well as a potential medical crisis.

Jan 1, 2015 5:55 AM CST

Bryan Garner offers a Magna Carta style guide

The Library of Congress has staged a magnificent exhibit on Magna Carta and its history. It is, after all, the 800th anniversary of the Great Charter of 1215. To commemorate the event, Justice Randy J. Holland of the Delaware Supreme Court has edited a book to accompany the exhibit: Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor, for which Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has written a foreword.

Jan 1, 2015 5:52 AM CST

Does the UK know something we don’t about alternative business structures?

For two nations sharing a language and legal history, the contrast in the visions at play in the legal systems of the United States and United Kingdom is more than striking. It’s revolutionary. The debates in the U.S. go on: Should ethics rules blocking nonlawyer ownership of law firms be…

Jan 1, 2015 5:51 AM CST

1985-1994: The legacy of Nuremberg

Robert H. Jackson was one of America’s most illustrious lawyers during the mid-20th century. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a fellow New Yorker, appointed Jackson to serve as general counsel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Jackson later served as solicitor general and attorney general; in June 1941, Roosevelt…

Jan 1, 2015 5:00 AM CST

Obama plans to use executive power to help normalize relations with Cuba

President Barack Obama plans to use executive power to smooth the United States’ relationship with Cuba. Obama plans to lift some restrictions on travel, trade and financial activities despite opposition in Congress, the New York Times reports. There is no indication that Congress will lift a trade embargo, but Obama…

Dec 19, 2014 11:00 AM CST

Sony Pictures cancels ‘Interview’ movie release, cites ‘unprecedented criminal assault’ by hackers

Following Tuesday threats reportedly made by the same Guardians of Peace hackers who say they stole and leaked confidential Sony Pictures documents, the entertainment company on Wednesday announced that it was canceling the scheduled Christmas Day release of a controversial movie that apparently sparked the Internet intrusion. A message suggesting…

Dec 17, 2014 5:30 PM CST

Germany OKs prosecution of former Nazi SS guard, now 93

Amidst a waning hunt for Nazi war criminals, a rare prosecution is being pursued in Germany. Authorities in Hanover plan to try former SS guard Oskar Groening as early as April, according to the Daily Mail, the Express and NBC News. Groening says he witnessed atrocities during World War II…

Dec 16, 2014 5:40 PM CST

Lawyer and cafe manager killed in Sydney hostage siege hailed as heroes; why wasn’t suspect in jail?

A lawyer was killed early Tuesday after being held hostage along with 16 other people in a cafe in Sydney for most of the day Monday by a self-described Muslim cleric, and she is being hailed as a hero. However, as Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to barrister Katrina…

Dec 16, 2014 12:15 PM CST

Should those who OK’d ‘brutal interrogation techniques in violation of US law’ be prosecuted?

After the release earlier this week of a 499-page U.S. Senate committee report that says the CIA resorted to illegal and ineffective torture tactics in the eight years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, some observers are calling for prosecution of those responsible. “The criminal law serves many functions:…

Dec 10, 2014 5:20 PM CST

US judge’s name is a household word in Argentina

A federal judge who rarely makes headlines in the United States is a household name in Argentina, and not in a good way. The judge is Thomas Griesa of Manhattan, who supported the claims of “vulture” hedge funds that purchased Argentina’s bonds for pennies on the dollar when the country…

Dec 5, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Amid talk of possible carry-on ban, plane passenger charged with using backpack as dangerous weapon

Concerned about possible airline-focused terrorism targeting flights to Europe during the December holidays, officials in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. have been talking about potential enhancements in security measures as part of a coordinated response. Among the options being discussed in both countries are a complete ban on…

Dec 4, 2014 4:00 PM CST

Feds say 1789 law requires Apple to help government get encrypted smartphone data

A portion of a 1789 law signed by George Washington requires Apple Inc. to help decrypt information on smartphones and tablets marketed as protected against government intrusion, the feds say. And federal magistrates in at least two states have agreed with government lawyers that, under the All Writs Act, companies…

Dec 1, 2014 4:20 PM CST

Lawyers and judges face hurdles in struggle to cope with influx of young immigrants

Artesia, New Mexico, sits in the state's southeast corner, about a three-hour drive from El Paso, Texas, and nearly four hours from Albuquerque. Its 11,301 residents' major employers are the oil industry, the local public school system and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. From a complex that used to be a small college, the center trains all U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and other federal officers.

Dec 1, 2014 4:30 AM CST