WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from Guantanamo detainees who fear they may be tortured or jailed if they are released from the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

The justices on Monday rejected a plea from dozens of detainees who say they should have 30 days advance notice to challenge their transfer to countries where they have a reasonable fear of torture, or even continued confinement.

Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor voted to hear the appeal, two votes shy of what was needed. Justice Elena Kagan sat out because she worked on the case as a Justice Department lawyer.

The government says it has a policy not to send detainees anywhere they are likely to be tortured.

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Pro-choice activists filed a motion Thursday to halt the states new law requiring women seeking abortion to view a sonogram of the fetus.

The NY-based Center for Reproductive Rights filed the preliminary injunction request in federal court Thursday, arguing the law shouldn’t go into effect on Sept. 1, as currently planned, until a judge rules that it doesn’t violate medical ethics rules and patients’ rights.

“The Center argues that the ultrasound requirements violate the First Amendment rights of both the doctor and the patient by forcing physicians to deliver politically-motivated communications to women, regardless of their wishes,” said Maxine Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Center.

The group had filed a lawsuit hoping to get the new law ruled unconstitutional on June 13.

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A yearlong review of 2,100 Milwaukee County homicide cases dating back to 1992, prompted by the Walter Ellis serial-murder case, found no other wrongful prosecutions beyond three already turned up and vacated during the Ellis investigation, according to prosecutors who did the review.

But others suggest that at least seven cases might deserve further DNA testing.

District Attorney John Chisholm released a report of the review Friday but did not respond to a request for further comment.

“The Walter Ellis prosecution and conviction exposed serious shortcomings in the collection of DNA evidence for convicted felons and sparked constructive discussion on how best to improve public safety and conviction integrity through the use of DNA technology,” the report states.

“We remain committed to seeking the truth in all cases we prosecute, and believe that many of the procedures developed during this review can be applied to future challenged cases,” it states.

Keith Findley, co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, which assisted in the review early on, said he was surprised and disappointed by the conclusion.

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CINCINNATI Former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh has accepted another job, his fifth since leaving office .

Fifth Third Bancorp on Tuesday named Bayh to its board of directors.

Since retiring from the Senate , Bayh has also become a partner in the Washington office of the McGuireWoods law firm , a senior adviser to a New York based private equity firm, an adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce , and a political commentator for FOX News . Bayh, an Indiana Democrat, served in the Senate from 1998 until his retirement this year. He previously was Indiana governor from 1988 to 1997. Before his public service, he was a practicing attorney in . Fifth Third shares rose 12 cents to $12.67 in Tuesday trading. The bank is based in Cincinnati.

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WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from Guantanamo detainees who fear they may be tortured or jailed if they are released from the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

The justices on Monday rejected a plea from dozens of detainees who say they should have 30 days advance notice to challenge their transfer to countries where they have a reasonable fear of torture, or even continued confinement.

Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor voted to hear the appeal, two votes shy of what was needed. Justice Elena Kagan sat out because she worked on the case as a Justice Department lawyer.

The government says it has a policy not to send detainees anywhere they are likely to be tortured.

Read full post…

Birmingham City Council’s financial problems could be eased by a dramatic reform of the way local businesses pay rates.The Government is to change the law to allow councils to keep millions of pounds they collect from local firms.The move ends a controversial scheme introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1988.

Councils lost out when she insisted that rates cash had to be sent to the Treasury, with only a portion being redistributed to cities like Birmingham.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced the change at the Local Government Association conference at the ICC in Birmingham.

He said allowing councils to keep all of the rates would act as an incentive to attract new firms and jobs.

Birmingham will also be given freedom by the Government to borrow money to pay for schools, roads and transport projects – using the income from business rates to meet the repayments.

The system, known as Tax Incremental Funding, will be extended across the whole city and not limited to the boundaries of a city centre enterprise zone.

It’s thought as much as £1 billion could be generated, enabling the council to press forward with schemes like the Midland Metro tram network.

Mr Clegg said Britain was unique in the developed world because only five per cent of money spent by councils was raised through local taxes.

Addressing LGA delegates, he said: “We will give you the freedom to borrow against projected future business rates and raise money for infrastructure projects.”

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce spokesman John Lamb said: “This is something we have been campaigning for and it is very good news indeed.

“We are delighted that tax incremental funding has been adopted by the Government and is to be extended across the entire city.”