The following is a guest post by Tariq Ahmad, a legal analyst in the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress. Tariq has previously blogged about Islamic Law in Pakistan – Global Legal Collection Highlights, the Law Library’s 2013 Panel Discussion on Islamic Law, and Sedition Law in India. This post follows my …
Israel’s next general election is scheduled for March 17, 2015, just a little over two years since the prior election that took place on January 22, 2013. According to Basic Law: the Knesset, elections to the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) are supposed to take place every four years. However, the Knesset can decide to dissolve itself …
The following is a guest post by the Director of the Global Legal Research Center Peter Roudik. Peter is a frequent contributor to In Custodia Legis. He has written a number of posts, including on “Ukraine: Two Understandings of Lustration,” “Crimean History, Status, and Referendum,” “Regulating the Winter Olympics in Russia,” “Soviet Law and the Assassination …
For some time now, I have been interested in the subject of medical ethics. With the development of science and technology, it is now possible to create life where it was once impossible. We are certainly capable of extending life. And to me, most importantly, is our ability to improve quality of life. These amazing achievements often raise complex, ethical dilemmas that reflect and …
The following is a guest post by Sayuri Umeda, a senior foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress. Sayuri has previously written blog posts on “Cambodian Law – Global Legal Collection Highlights“; “English Translations of Post-Second World War South Korean Laws“; “Laws and Regulations Passed in the Aftermath of the Great East Japan …
According to a June 2014 report by the United States Congressional Budget Office (CBO), most of the annual spending by the federal government on surface transportation programs is in the form of grants to state and local governments. These grants are primarily financed through the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF). After decades of stable balances to …
Two demonstrations took place last month, one in Jerusalem, and the other in New York’s financial district. Both were organized and attended by haredi (ultra-orthodox Jews; literally means “those who fear [God]”) who protested against the adoption of new legislation by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). The legislation imposed conscription requirements on haredi yeshiva students in Israel. …
On Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, one of the oddest cases of unintended consequences came to an end. I refer to the death of Samuel Sheinbein in a shootout in an Israeli prison. According to media reports the thirty-three-years-old Sheinbein was shot after opening fire and seriously injuring several prison guards using a weapon he had smuggled …
The handling and adjudication of sexual offenses in the military have drawn much public and Congressional interest in recent months following the disclosure of several high profile cases involving allegations of sexual assault by U.S. service members. Several proposals for reforming the way such allegations are handled within the U.S. military justice system have been …