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Law Library of Congress Report Examines Parliamentary Oversight in Eight Countries

Posted by: Ruth Levush

A 2017 report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Oversight: Parliament’s Power to Hold Government to Account, states that parliamentary oversight of governmental actions is one of the three core functions of a parliament, in addition to legislating (especially passage of the annual budget) and the representation of constituents. The report recognized that holding governments to …

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Elor Azaria and Alexander Blackman: Adjudication of Unlawful Military Shootings

Posted by: Ruth Levush

What impact do prolonged periods of stress and fear have on a soldier’s behavior? Do the horrors of war and terrorist acts justify conduct that would otherwise be unlawful? While such circumstances do not seem to amount to justification for violating the law, it is notable that “exceptional stressors” and constant threats faced by soldiers were recently considered …

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Handling of Sexual Offenses in the Israeli Military

Posted by: Ruth Levush

On December 18, 2016 the Tel- Aviv Military Court convicted a brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of sexual offenses against female soldiers serving under his command. The conviction is believed to be of the highest ranking IDF soldier of such crimes, based on the officer’s admission as a result of a plea bargain. The officer had initially been …

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An Interview with Irma Gabriadze, Professional Fellow

Posted by: Ruth Levush

Today’s interview is with Irma Gabriadze, a professional fellow working with Ruth on research related to the laws of the Republic of Georgia and other jurisdictions. Describe your background I am a lawyer currently employed by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia (MoJ). I have been serving as the MoJ head of the Legal Research and …

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New Report Details the Regulation of Drones in Foreign Countries

Posted by: Ruth Levush

The increased operation of drones in the civilian landscape has raised new challenges for policy makers and regulatory agencies in the United States and around the world. Some of the concerns legislators and regulators have attempted to address include how to protect public safety and personal rights, such as privacy and land ownership, in the …

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New Report Looks at Campaign Finance Laws in Seven Countries

Posted by: Ruth Levush

There is frequent discussion and debate about U.S. campaign finance laws and the increasing amounts spent by candidates running for the U.S. Congress. Certain aspects of campaign finance regulation have been the subject of judicial review by the Supreme Court. How do other countries approach the complex task of regulating campaign contributions and spending? This …

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Murder as Statecraft

Posted by: Ruth Levush

The following is a guest post by Peter Roudik, director of legal research at the Law Library of Congress. Peter specializes in Russia and the former Soviet Union. He has written a number of posts on topics related to countries in that region, including posts on Christmas, Soviet Style; Soviet investigation of Nazi war crimes, lustration in Ukraine, …

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FALQs: Soviet Investigation of Nazi War Crimes

Posted by: Ruth Levush

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 …