daily summary of legal news from Paper Chase, the real-time legal news arm of JURIST

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Here's your daily summary of legal news from Paper Chase, the real-time legal news arm of JURIST...
ACLU challenges US deportation practices
[JURIST] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] on Tuesday filed a lawsuit [ACLU report] in a Los Angeles federal court, alleging that Border Patrol and immigration officers are guilty of coercing hundreds, or possibly thousands of Mexican nationals into signing their own deportation documents and forfeiting their right to a fair hearing before an immigration judge. The complaint [text, PDF] alleges that immigration officers in Southern California are misusing a process known as "voluntary departure" by wrongly telling... [more].
Posted by Theresa Donovan on Jun 05, 2013 04:59 pm

Bangladesh lifts YouTube ban
[JURIST] The Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission [official website] on Wednesday lifted the country's ban against YouTube [website]. The website has been banned since September, after an anti-Islam movie appeared on the site. The movie, titled Innocence of Muslims [BBC backgrounder], is a spoof film that characterizes the Prophet Mohammed as a fool and womanizer. Sunil Kanti Bose, head of the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Body, said that the ban has been lifted [Reuters report] because it was hurting many individuals who... [more].
Posted by Theresa Donovan on Jun 05, 2013 02:27 pm

Former Slovenia PM sentenced to 2 years for corruption
[JURIST] A district court in Ljubljana [official website, in Slovenian] on Wednesday convicted former Slovenia [CIA backgrounder] prime minister Janez Jansa [official website] of corruption and sentenced him to two years in prison. The trial began in September 2011 [BBC report], with Jasna and two others accused of soliciting bribes while signing a defense contract with the Finnish company Patria for a supply of armored vehicles. Investigators believe that Jansa and his accomplices expected to receive €21 million. The two... [more].
Posted by Cynthia Miley on Jun 05, 2013 01:28 pm

US trade commission rules for Samsung in Apple patent dispute
[JURIST] The US International Trade Commission (ITC) [official website] on Tuesday issued a limited import ban [text] and a cease-and-desist order against Apple for AT&T models of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G after finding the devices violate a patent held by Samsung Electronics [corporate websites]. The ruling states that Apple violated one of Samsung's patents on two different claims dealing with encoding and decoding a wireless protocol. The ban ends Apple's ability to sell... [more].
Posted by Cynthia Miley on Jun 05, 2013 12:56 pm

AI: Mexico must investigate disappearances
[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Tuesday called on the Mexican government to investigate the disappearances [report, PDF; press release] of thousands of people and acknowledge the government's involvement in the disappearances. AI's report said 26,121 people were reported disappeared or missing between December 2006 and December 2012, but 40 percent of the cases were not investigated. Further, AI reported there was "compelling evidence to presume the direct or indirect involvement of public officials in at least 85" cases.... [more].
Posted by Sydney Normil on Jun 05, 2013 11:38 am

UN rights office urges Turkey to ensure right to assembly
[JURIST] The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] on Tuesday urged [press release] the Turkish government to ensure the right of its citizens to assemble freely and in a peaceful manner. The OHCHR is responding to days of violent clashes between police and protestors. The protests began on Friday in Istanbul, before spreading elsewhere in Turkey, to voice citizens' discontent with plans to redevelop the historic Taksim square and Gezi park. There has been... [more].
Posted by Alison Sacriponte on Jun 05, 2013 11:13 am

Burundi passes media law restricting journalistic freedom
[JURIST] Burundi lawmakers passed a media law on Monday that restricts journalistic freedom by limiting topics that can be reported on and reducing the protection afforded to sources. The bill prohibits stories [HRW report] that could affect Burundi's "national unity; public order and security; morality and good conduct; honor and human dignity; national sovereignty; the privacy of individuals; the presumption of innocence" or issues involving "propaganda of the enemy of the Burudian nation in times of peace as of war"... [more].
Posted by Sydney Normil on Jun 05, 2013 10:08 am

ACLU report finds racial disparities in marijuana possession arrest rates
[JURIST] There is a racial bias in marijuana possession arrest rates press release], with black people 3.7 times more likely to be arrested than white people, according to a report [text, PDF] released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website]. The report is the first of its kind and concludes that the war on marijuana [JURIST backgrounder] is a failure, with billions of dollars wasted on racially biased arrests. The ACLU found that marijuana possession arrests, and... [more].
Posted by Alison Sacriponte on Jun 05, 2013 09:46 am

White House issues executive actions addressing patent infringement lawsuits
[JURIST] The White House [official website] on Tuesday announced a set of executive actions [press release] aimed at cracking down on abusive patent infringement lawsuits. These steps are aimed at people or firms, often referred to as "patent trolls," who collect patents for the sole purpose of pursuing litigation against those who attempt to use them at a later date. The crackdown seeks to improve the environment [The Hill report] for innovation, which may be hampered when legitimate businesses fear... [more].
Posted by Laura Klein Mullen on Jun 05, 2013 08:27 am

UN rights experts urge El Salvador to reconsider abortion policy
[JURIST] A group of independent UN experts on Tuesday urged the government of El Salvador to reconsider its strict abortion ban [press release] in light of a recent ruling by its Supreme Court [official website, in Spanish] The decision denied a 22-year-old woman, Beatriz, the right to an abortion. Beatriz's pregnancy puts her life at risk, and doctors have said that her child has little chance of surviving due to brain defects that have been detected. Last week the Inter-American... [more].
Posted by Laura Klein Mullen on Jun 05, 2013 07:25 am