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DRC court finds 2 of 39 soldiers guilty of rape
[JURIST] A military court for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday convicted two of 39 soldiers charged with raping more than 130 women in the province of South Kivu. Another 24 soldiers were convicted of looting. Sources indicate that rape convictions are extremely rare in the DRC and that having a trial at all represents a major step toward protecting victims. The case is reportedly the largest rape trial [Al Jazeera report] in the DRC's history. The convictions... [more].
Posted by Benjamin Minegar on May 05, 2014 03:28 pm

Supreme Court rules mortgage fraudster required to repay loan amount
[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] unanimously Monday in Robers v. United States [SCOTUSblog backgrounder] that the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA) requires restitution calculation based upon the property a lender loses, not upon the collateral the lender receives. In 2005, petitioner Benjamin Robers submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking $470,000 for the purchase of two residences. The banks took mortgages on the homes, and, when Robers failed to repay, the banks foreclosed. The banks sold the... [more].
Posted by Benjamin Minegar on May 05, 2014 02:54 pm

Supreme Court rules prayer allowed at town meetings
[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] 5-4 Monday in Town of Greece v. Galloway [SCOTUSblog backgrounder] that the practice of opening town meetings with a prayer does not violate the Establishment Clause [JURIST backgrounder] of the First Amendment [text]. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled [JURIST report] in 2012 that the New York town's practice amounted to an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. In an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court... [more].
Posted by Jaclyn Belczyk on May 05, 2014 12:16 pm

Supreme Court to rule on Telecommunications Act, health care benefits in collective bargaining agreements
[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday granted certiorari [order list, PDF] in T-Mobile South v. City of Roswell [docket; cert. petition, PDF] to determine what it means to satisfy the Telecommunications Act's [text] "in writing" requirement. The court shall determine whether a state or local government document determining that an application to place, construct, or modify a personal wireless service facility has been denied, without providing any reason for the denial, satisfies the requirement that a denial... [more].
Posted by Addison Morris on May 05, 2014 12:06 pm

Vatican seeking to limit responsibility for child sex abuse before UN
[JURIST] The Vatican appeared before the Geneva committee [official websites] that oversees the UN Convention Against Torture [text] on Monday, arguing that a strict interpretation of the convention limited the church's responsibility for the international priest sex abuse scandal. The universal governing structure of the Catholic church has insisted that their obligation to protect against torture does not extend worldwide, but instead within the confines of the small Vatican City. According to the Vatican spokesperson, when officials signed the UN... [more].
Posted by Addison Morris on May 05, 2014 11:12 am