Police Closing In on WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

It seems that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is close to being arrested in England and extradited to Sweden to face possible rape charges.

From the Washington Post:

The Swedish Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder and guiding spirit, must appear before a magistrate in Stockholm to answer accusations of rape and sexual harassment brought by two Swedish women.

Following the court’s refusal to hear an appeal of the warrant, Swedish authorities said they were fine-tuning a “red notice” for Assange’s arrest that is being relayed to member countries by Interpol, the international anti-crime cooperative.

Police in Britain, where Assange is believed to located, had said they could not act on the mandate without more specifics on the potential charges and the penalties Assange might face under Swedish law.

From the Associated Press:

Sweden’s Supreme Court upheld a order to detain the 39-year-old Australian for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual molestation that could lead to his extradition. The former computer hacker has been out of the public eye for nearly a month, although attorney Mark Stephens insisted that authorities knew how to find him.

“Both the British and the Swedish authorities know how to contact him, and the security services know exactly where he is,” Stephens told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, cables published to WikiLeaks’ website detailed alleged financial support for North Korea and terrorist affiliates by Austrian banks; an allegation by a Pakistani official that Russia “fully supports” Iran’s nuclear program; and a deeply unflattering assessment of Turkmenistan’s president.

Accused in Sweden of rape, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of unlawful coercion, Assange’s last public appearance was at a Geneva press conference on Nov. 5.

Killer’s Last Words: ‘Boomer Sooner’

The state of Arizona executed convicted killer Jeffrey Landrigan last night after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the lethal injection. His last words? Boomer Sooner…

From CNN:

“I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to my family for being here and all of my friends,” were Landrigan’s final words, according to Marson. He concluded with “Boomer Sooner,” a cheer often used by University of Oklahoma fans.

Landrigan’s last meal consisted of steak, fried okra, french fries, strawberry ice cream and a Dr. Pepper, Marson said.

The way for the execution was cleared after a majority of Supreme Court justices moved to vacate a federal judge’s order that had temporarily stopped the execution scheduled for earlier in the day.

Prop. 8 Ruled Unconstitutional in California

A federal judge has struck down Prop. 8, a California ban on same-sex marriages, ruling it unconstitutional.

This is a key victory to gay rights advocates but it should be assumed that this fight will most likely reach the U.S. Supreme Court, eventually.

Thoughts on the ruling?

From CNN:

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker found in his ruling that the ban violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause under the 14th Amendment.

The closely watched case came some two years after Californians voted to pass Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Neither opponents nor supporters of same-sex marriage said before the ruling that it would likely be the last.

California State Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 8

The California State Supreme Court has ruled that Proposition 8, defining marriage as between and man and a woman, is valid. The court also left intact the 18,000 same-sex marriages that occurred at times when same sex unions were legal.

From the San Francisco Examiner:

The California Supreme Court upheld a constitutional amendment today banning same-sex marriage despite claims from gay marriage advocates that taking away such a fundamental right requires more than a simple majority at the ballot box.

The court ruled 6-1 to uphold the ban, with Justice Carlos Moreno as the only dissenting vote.

The court also unanimously agreed that the thousands of marriages performed while same-sex marriage was legal in California are valid.

On Feb. 12, 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom defied the law and authorized the County Clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The decision was validated in May, 2008, when the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to get married.

The landmark decision became a model across the nation where same-sex marriage issues have been decided through the courts. The California Supreme Court, for instance, was the first to consider sexual orientation as a protected class.

But the November passage of Proposition 8 by 52 percent of California voters overturned that decision. The state constitution now defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Ruling on Proposition 8 Due Today

The California Supreme Court is about to determine the fate of same-sex marriage as well as the validity of approximately 18,000 same-sex marriages. An announcement is expected around 10 a.m. this morning.

UPDATE: Prop 8 has been upheld.

From CNN:

The court will rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the controversial measure banning same-sex marriage that voters approved in November.

Its opponents want the amendment nullified. They say the proposition alters California’s Constitution and, therefore, under state law, is a revision that requires a constitutional convention.

Attorneys for the opponents also say the proposition, which removed the “marriage” label from same-sex unions, effectively deprives same-sex couples of a fundamental right guaranteed them under the equal-protection clause in the U.S. Constitution. Watch what’s at stake with the decision »

Justices asked many questions when they heard arguments in the case in March but didn’t indicate which way they leaned, instead focusing on winnowing out each attorney’s individual argument on the issue.

Proposition 8 passed with about 52.5 percent of the vote, making California one of several states to ban same-sex marriage in the November 4 elections. But unlike others, California had been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples since the state Supreme Court ruled in May 2008 that the unions were legal.

Along with determining the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the court will determine whether about 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted before the ban are still valid.

Barack Obama Selects Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court Choice

President Barack Obama has nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York for the Supreme Court, making the longtime federal jurist the first Latino member of the nation’s highest court.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Sotomayor, first appointed to the federal district court for the Southern District of New York by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1991, sits on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. She was elevated to the circuit court, one of the nation’s most prestigious, by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Obama, who has said that he wants a new justice with “a common touch” and a measure of “empathy,” also is offering a measure of ethnic diversity to a court dominated by white men in his replacement of the retiring Justice David Souter. The nine-member court includes just one female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and one black justice, Clarence Thomas.

“I have decided to nominate an inspiring woman, who I believe will make a great justice,” said Obama, standing with Sotomayor by his side in the East Room of the White House.