Senate Judiciary Committee

Sponsor of online piracy bill voices concerns over censorship issues

Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Lamar Smith R-Texas, expressed concerns over the scope of the Stop Online Piracy Act by saying that he was uncertain whether the Justice Department should be allowed to obtain court orders demanding that ISPs prevent users from visiting blacklisted websites, websites accused of infringing on intellectual property. Under intense fire from the technology sector, it now appears that the bill will be amended. -db From a commentary in

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Senate committee passes measures to boost judicial transparency

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a number of measures improving transparency in courtrooms including televising U.S. Supreme Court hearings. -db The Blog of Legal Times April 29, 2010 By Mike Scarcella The Senate Judiciary Committee passed several measures today addressing greater transparency in the judicial system—including televising U.S. Supreme Court hearings. One of the bills, the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, would allow chief district and appellate judges to permit cameras in court. That bill

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Senate rejects proposal for commission of inquiry on torture

Senator Patrick Leahy was unable to obtain the bipartisan consensus he said was essential to conduct a senate investigation of Bush administration conduct on terrorism including detention, rendition and interrogation. -DB Secrecy News Federation of American Scientists Commentary January 26, 2010 By Steven Aftergood Last year the Senate Judiciary Committee considered a proposal by Senator Patrick Leahy to establish a formal “commission of inquiry” that would investigate the conduct of the post-9/11 war on terrorism,

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