The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in McFadden v. United States to determine what level of knowledge is required for a narcotics conviction. The question originally before the court was whether, to convict a defendant of distribution of a controlled substance analogue, the government must prove that the defendant …
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that extending an already completed traffic stop in order to conduct a drug sniff violates the Constitution as an unreasonable seizure. In a 6-3 decision by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the majority held in Rodriguez v. United States that "a seizure justified only by a police-observed traffic violation, …
Oskar Groening, a former Auschwitz guard, admitted in his opening statement before a court in Germany Tuesday that he shared the burden of moral guilt for his role at Auschwitz, which earned him the title, "Accountant of Auschwitz," but left it to the judges to determine if his actions were sufficient to be convicted as an accessory to murder. …
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of Learjet and other natural gas retail purchasers in their action against interstate natural gas pipeline ONEOK, finding that the Natural Gas Act does not provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exclusive control over the actions of energy firms. Learjet, representing a group of …
Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday after being convicted of inciting violence and ordering the killing and torturing of protesters in 2012. The court did not convict Morsi, or any of the 14 other defendants, of murder, which could have resulted in death sentences. The former democratically …
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on whether possession of a sawed-off shotgun should be considered a violent felony under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). In Johnson v. US the court specifically is considering whether the residual clause in the ACCA is constitutionally vague. The ACCA stipulates that a …
Somali government officials evicted thousands of displaced people from Mogadishu in early March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated Monday. The Somali government order stated that people were to be evicted from a 600-650 meter section of Mogadishu within a week. Security forces reportedly beat residents resisting the eviction, destroyed all their shelters and threatened individuals. …
