United States Archives | Page 24 of 45 | International Commission of Jurists

Lewis v. Harris, Supreme Court of New Jersey, United States (26 October 2006)

Oct 26, 2006

Procedural Posture Seven same-sex couples brought suit challenging New Jersey’s laws restricting civil marriage to the union of a man and a woman. They argued that these laws violated the liberty and equal protection guarantees of the New Jersey Constitution. When the...

USA: Court finds domestic surveillance program illegal

Sep 16, 2006

On 17 August, a federal judge ruled that the domestic surveillance program run by the National Security Agency (NSA) violated constitutional guarantees of free speech and privacy rights. The Court ordered the Agency to immediately cease intercepting communications...

USA: Department of Defence releases new Army Field Manual

Sep 16, 2006

On 6 September, the Department of Defense (DoD) released a new Army Field Manual on interrogations. The Manual clarifies that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions applies to all detainees, regardless of their characterization and status. It also specifically...

USA: UN human rights experts concerned at counter-terrorism measures

Sep 16, 2006

In its conclusions concerning US compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), issued on 28 July, the Human Rights Committee (HRC) called on the US to close all secret detention facilities, to punish US personnel who authorized...

USA: Congress passes Military Commissions Act

Sep 16, 2006

On 28 September, the US Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The Act authorizes trials of terrorist suspects by military commissions and severely restricts detainees’ access to US courts to challenge any aspect of detention, transfer, treatment, trial...