Federal Judge Blocks Drilling Moratorium

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2010 You'd think that it might be a no-brainer to take the Obama administration's suggestion that perhaps, just maybe, deep-water drilling projects ought to be put on hold in light of the Gulf of Mexico mega-disaster and all. (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Madonna Lets Malawi Judge Have It for Sentencing Gay Couple

Staff / Truthdig May 21, 2010 The world may not have been waiting for Madonna's input, but for the record, she vehemently disapproves of a Malawi judge's decision, issued Thursday, to sentence a young gay couple to 14 years of hard labor after they openly celebrated their engagement late last year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The ‘Right’ Kind of Justice

Staff / Truthdig May 14, 2010 Baltasar Garzon, the Spanish judge made famous for probing into abuses committed under dictator Gen. Francisco Franco and for going after notorious international figures like Osama bin Laden and Chile's Augusto Pinochet, has been suspended in preparation for a trial in which he is accused of overstepping his authority. The court case comes after a wave of complaints from far-right groups. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Ask, Don’t Judge?

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Feb 11, 2010 No one would question an African-American judge's capacity to preside over a race discrimination lawsuit or a female jurist's handling of a sexual harassment case. Does it matter if the judge hearing the lawsuit challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage is gay? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Louisiana Judge Steps Down Amid Interracial Marriage Controversy

Staff / Truthdig Nov 4, 2009 We can't be certain why Louisiana Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell quit his post Tuesday because his one-sentence resignation doesn't say, but we can guess it has something to do with his refusal to preside over an interracial marriage -- and the public outcry that soon followed. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Politicians Fined for Environmental Negligence

Staff / Truthdig Oct 29, 2009 An Argentine court has fined the country's environmental secretary and two politicians for failing to clean up the polluted Riachuelo River that winds through Buenos Aires, a move unique and commendable for its accountability of politicians to citizens' concerns. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Judge With a View

Marcia Alesan Dawkins / Truthdig Aug 6, 2009 The struggle over Sonia Sotomayor’s viewpoint and voice has important ramifications for legislative politics and identity politics in our country. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Judgment Days of Sotomayor

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2009 Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor avoided a "total meltdown" during her confirmation hearings, even as she underwent a grilling by the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who trotted out a series of scathing anonymous evaluations of Sotomayor by unimpressed attorneys. Clearly, Sen. Graham hasn't Googled himself lately. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

In Praise of Empathy

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig May 21, 2009 So it is that I am watching the run-up to the nomination of a new Supreme Court justice with eyes wide open. We've already had pre-emptive strikes against three women on the media short list. Elena Kagan, Diane Wood and Sonia Sotomayor are getting the scary radical treatment without even getting picked. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Judge: Blago Show a No-Go

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2009 Disgraced former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich had high hopes of recouping his public image -- or at least making a little cash -- by joining a gaggle of "famous" people willing to do anything to stay in the limelight (putting it generously) in NBC's reality show "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" But alas, those dreams have been dashed. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sharif Under House Arrest as Crisis Builds in Pakistan

Staff / Truthdig Mar 15, 2009 Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was placed under house arrest in Lahore on Sunday as opposition groups prepared to march on Islamabad to call for the reinstatement of judges deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf Pakistan's current president, Asif Ali Zardari, had said shortly after taking power last fall that he would reverse his predecessor's ruling but has yet to make good on his pledge Update 2: Crisis averted (sort of) for now. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Judge: Iraqi Shoeman Beaten

Staff / Truthdig Dec 20, 2008 Although allegations of physical abuse against reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi, better known as the guy who chucked his shoes at the head of the guy who invaded his country, were widely reported in recent days, it took until today for an Iraqi judge to officially rule that al-Zaidi was beaten while in custody. The system works! Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )