Has Texas accidentally banned marriage?A constitutional amendment in Texas designed to ban gay marriages may have inadvertently banned all marriages in the state, according to a lawyer and Democratic attorney general candidate.
Life / Society / The Law
Rich home free, ASIC in the dock
One.Tel executives Jodee Rich and Mark Silbermann may have escaped their legal battle with ASIC intact, but One.Tel was still a colossal failure, says Stephen Bartholomeusz.
Can prisoners on death row really request anything for their last meal?
Ever pondered what your final meal would be if you were facing the noose? Contrary to popular belief, prisoners on Death Row in the US don’t always get what they ask for. In fact, many just get something slapped together by a fellow inmate.
Porsche sues Crocs
Car maker Porsche is suing ugly-shoe-maker Crocs over the its use of the name “Cayman”, which both companies have named a product. Just in-case people can’t tell the difference between a $51k luxury car and a $30 plastic sandle.
No sex education in China = 13 million abortions
A new found sexual liberalism is occurring behind closed doors and under the sheets of students in China. Unfortunately, sex education hasn’t developed as quickly, resulting in a whopping 13 million registered abortions every year.
Why Karadzic is not getting a fair trial
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic’s plea to be allowed more time to prepare his defence against serious of charges, including two counts of genocide, is in fact an entirely legitimate one.
weird The most bizarre CIA programs of all time
The CIA has funded some odd programs throughout its history. Like, luring men with prostitutes and then drugging them to observe the effects of acid and LSD. And implementing cats with microphones to spy on the Russians. Fun!
What will Obama do with the leftover Gitmo prisoners?
Barack Obama is honouring his pledge to close down the notorious Guantanamo prison, but how and where will the detainees be trialled in a fair manner? NPR explores the options, examining what justice means for Gitmo prisoners.
Meet Kevin Rudd’s “scum of the earth”
The two men charged with bringing a boatload of Afghani asylum seekers into Australian waters appeared before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory last week. Are these the people really “scum of the Earth”?
An audience with Radovan Karadzic. Location: The Hague
The Hague has a long history of overseeing international law, the latest being the trial of Serbian Radovan Karadzic, accused of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. Too bad he was a no show, writes Grant Doyle.
Why good programmers go bad
Why do computer programmers turn to a life of online crime? Poor education, a criminal record and a dislike of authority, according to an undercover investigation by IT researchers — but some are just good people who can’t resist the lure of the dark side.
Can it ever be ethical to let women die?
So refusing an abortion should be a doctor’s right, even if that refusal may see a woman die? asks Leslie Cannold. Religious freedom is important, but it shouldn’t trump other human rights.
A history of Scientology’s legal battles
In light of today’s fraud conviction against the Church of Scientology in France, CSM looks back at the organisation’s long and abiding relationship with courts all over the globe.
NT Police to be charged with murder… of the English language
The latest NT Ombudsman’s report into Northern Territory Police misconduct reveals some appalling conduct by members of the force, writes Bob Gosford, with prisoners subjected to torrents of verbal abuse.
leaked The UK police’s “spotter cards” for protesting troublemakers
Check out the highly confidential “spotter cards” used by British bobbies to identify “troublemakers” at protests — just one part of their controversial “overt surveillance” approach. One “troublemaker” responds here.
Rio’s cloud has a silver lining
It’s hard to imagine it at first, but last weekend’s carnage in Rio de Janeiro may actually have one positive result. It may give the world a deadline for coming to our senses about drug prohibition.
How countries choose which side of the road they drive on
Why do so many other countries drive on the “wrong” side of the road? Believe it or not, Hitler, the Pope, horse-drawn carts and Napoleon have all played their part.
US lawyer sues Airbus (and everyone else) over Air France disaster
A US lawyer is suing everyone who made anything that was part of the Air France Airbus flight that crashed into the mid Atlantic in June, reports Ben Sandilands.
Oops 
No hope for Obama artist fraud
Artist Shepard Fairey — creator of the iconic Barack Obama ‘Hope’ poster — has admitted that he knowingly submitted fake evidence in his legal case with Associated Press in an attempt to conceal his use of a copyrighted Obama photo.
Renowned nuclear physicist was an Al Qaeda mole
Adlène Hicheur, a French physicist working on the Hadron Collider, has been arrested on terrorism charges after admitting to working as a “mole” for Al Qaeda. Cue calls of “He seemed like such a nice boy…”
Berlusconi may yet get his day in court
Silvio Berlusconi is not Italy’s head of state — just its head of government. If the country’s minister is a crook, the courts need to be given the opportunity to say so.
Hitchens: A global perspective on Polanski’s child rape
The West’s “Hollywood exceptionalism” that has seen many give Roman Polanski a pass for having sex with a 13-year-old is vile, but it’s still better than countries like Yemen, where being married by that age is the norm, says Christopher Hitchens.
