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	LAW AND JUSTICE NEWS: 1-JAN-12 - 9-APR-12
	From	01-Jan-12						Copyright © 2011-2012 by Macroknow Inc. All Rights Reserved.
	To	09-Apr-12
	Days	100
	News Items	292
	Date	Event Category			Authors	Title	X	Event	Source	URL	Item
	1-Jan-12	GOV	OIL	JUST		Venezuela Ordered to Pay ExxonMobil in Assets Dispute		Venezuela was ordered to pay Exxon Mobil $908 million in a legal dispute regarding the nationalizing of Venezuela's oil assets; Exxon Mobil had sought $7 billion	VOA News-Reuters		1
	2-Jan-12	PRO	LAW		Palko Karasz; Melissa Eddy	Opposition Protests Constitution in Hungary		Hungary: tens of the thousands protest the new “majoritarian” Constitution which gives the government anti democratic control over the news media and over the courts	NYT		2
	11-Jan-12	REL	LAW			Supreme Court upholds 'ministerial exception' in landmark victory for religious freedom		Catholic World News: "the US Supreme Court ruled that religious bodies should set their own standards for hiring ministers, free from government interference"	CatholicCulture.org-Catholic World News		3
	18-Jan-12	PRO	BUS	LAW		Major Websites Protest US Anti-Piracy Legislation with Blackout		Major websites, including Wikipedia and Google, protested The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) under consideration in the U.S. Congress; the film and music industry support anti-piracy legislation	VOA News		4
	19-Jan-12	BUS	FIN	LAW		Eastman Kodak Company and Its U.S. Subsidiaries Commence Voluntary Chapter 11 Business Reorganization		Eastman Kodak Company and Its U.S. subsidiaries file for voluntary Chapter 11 business reorganization	Kodak		5
	19-Jan-12	JUST	WWW			Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement		U.S. Justice Department and FBI charged: "Seven individuals and two corporations have been charged in the United States with running an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works through Megaupload.com and other related sites, generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners. . . This case is part of efforts being undertaken by the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property (IP Task Force) to stop the theft of intellectual property"	FBI		6
	19-Jan-12	PRO	JUST	WWW	AnonymousWiki			Anonymous: "Popular file-sharing website megaupload.com gets shutdown by U.S Justice - FBI and charged its founder with violating piracy laws. Four Megaupload members were also arrested. . . We Anonymous are launching our largest attack ever on government and music industry sites. Lulz. The FBI didn't think they would get away with this did they? They should have expected us. . ."; several websites were taken down, including: justice.gov, usdoj.gov, copyright.gov, universalmusic.com	Anonymous		7
	22-Jan-12	LAW	WWW	MON	Sarah McBride; Lisa Richwine; Jasmin Melvin; Diane Bartz; Jonathan Weber (ed.); Maureen Bavdek (ed.)	Epic Clash: Silicon Valley Blindsides Hollywood on Piracy		U.S.: amounts spent on influencing policy during 1998-2011: technology companies (including computer and Internet companies), $1.2 billion; entertainment companies (including Hollywood movie studios), $906.4 million. Entertainment companies support SOPA and PIPA; technology companies do not.	NYT: Reuters		8
	23-Jan-12	PRO	LAW			Abortion opponents urged to unite behind eventual GOP nominee at annual ‘March for Life’ rally		Thousands of abortion opponents joined the “March for Life” to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion	Washington Post: AP		9
	31-Jan-12	JUST	POL		Charlie Sullivan	Why are so many Americans in prison?		U.S.; the incarceration rate is 743 per 100,000 Americans (a world record); 40% of the prison population is African-American (blacks make up only 12% of America's population)	Al Jazeera		10
	1-Feb-12	M&A	MKT	LAW		Mergers: Commission blocks proposed merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext		The European Commission blocked the proposed merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext; together th2 exchange would control >90% of global trade in European financial derivatives -- "a quasi-monopoly"	Eurpean Commission		11
	1-Feb-12	LAW	RES		David S. Law; Mila Versteeg	The Declining Influence of the United States Constitution (February 1, 2012) [New York University Law Review, Vol. 87, No. 3, June 2012; Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 11-09-01; Virginia Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 2011-39]		David S. Law and Mila Versteeg on The Declining Influence of the United States Constitution: "In this Article, we show empirically that other countries have, in recent decades, become increasingly unlikely to model either the rights-related provisions or the basic structural provisions of their own constitutions upon those found in the U.S. Constitution. . . We find some support in the data for the notion that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has influenced constitution-making in other countries."	Social Science Research Network		12
	3-Feb-12	BANK	FRAUD	LAW	Edward Wyatt	S.E.C. Is Avoiding Tough Sanctions for Large Banks		An analysis by The New York Times of S.E.C. investigations indicates that "the agency has repeatedly allowed the biggest firms to avoid punishments specifically meant to apply to fraud cases"; the S.E.C. has not been using its enforcement powers -- large financial institutions were granted beneficial waivers after these settled fraud cases	NYT		13
	6-Feb-12	BANK	MON	LAW	Giles Broom; Frank Connelly (ed,)	Baer Slides as Swiss Bank Expects U.S. Fine on Taxes: Zurich Mover		U.S.: 11 Swiss financial institutions are being investigated for alledgedly helping Americans hide money from the IRS	Bloomberg		14
	7-Feb-12	M&A	BANK	LAW	Steven M. Davidoff	Goldman, on Both Sides of a Deal, Is Now in Court		El Paso shareholders have sued Goldman Sachs regarding a potential conflict of interest in a 2-sided transaction involving Kinder Morgan and El Paso – a combination and a potential spinoff	NYT-DealBook		15
	9-Feb-12	GOV	LAW		Joseph I. Sen Lieberman (sponsor)	Bill Text: 112th Congress (2011-2012) S.2038.ES		U.S.: The House of Representatives approved Bill S.2038: `Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012' or the `STOCK Act' (417-2, 14 not voting); the bill seeks "To prohibit Members of Congress and employees of Congress from using nonpublic information derived from their official positions for personal benefit, and for other purposes"	The Library of Congress-THOMAS		16
	9-Feb-12	JUST	BANK	FRAUD		Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses – $25 Billion Agreement Provides Homeowner Relief & New Protections, Stops Abuses		U.S.: the federal government and state attorneys general reach $25 billion agreement with the 5 largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses; the 5 largest mortgage servicers include: Bank of America Corporation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Company, Citigroup Inc. and Ally Financial Inc. (formerly GMAC). [See Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, http://www.stopfraud.gov/.]	U.S. Department of Justice		17
	10-Feb-12	JUST	REL		Nirmala Carvalho	Gujarat massacre: government to rebuild more than 500 places of worship		India: Gujarat High Court ruling regarding >500 places of worship destroyed during the 2002 riots (>1,000 people were killed): the government of Gujarat will have to compensate and rebuild the destroyed properties	AsiaNews.it		18
	11-Feb-12	PRO	LAW	WWW	Dave Lee	Acta protests: Thousands take to streets across Europe		Europe: thousands of people protested against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).	BBC News		19
	11-Feb-12	PRO	LAW	WWW		Stop ACTA		Open Rights Group, London, UK: "The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is an international agreement, negotiated in secret. It is supposed to tackle large-scale counterfeiting. But its overly broad definitions, harsh punitive measures and lack of democratic validity make it a danger to how our Internet is governed and to freedom of expression and privacy online." According to ORG: "ACTA has no democratic credibility"; "ACTA threatens your privacy and freedom of speech"; "ACTA would be a hindrance to innovation"; "ACTA could hurt developing countries."	Open Rights Group		20
	14-Feb-12	GOV	WWW	LAW		Online surveillance bill tabled in House		Canada: proposed "protecting children from internet predators act" was tabled by Stephen Harper's Conservative government; the bill would permit police and intelligence agencies to access Canadians' electronic communications without a warrant	CBC News		21
	15-Feb-12	GOV	ECON	LAW	Paul Kane	Negotiators reach deal; vote expected soon on $150B economic package		U.S.: Comgressional negotiators approval a $150-billion economic package extending a payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits	Washington Post		22
	17-Feb-12	PRO	GOV	LAW	Quinn Norton	Anonymous Promises Regularly Scheduled Friday Attacks		In protest against ACTA, the Antisec wing of Anonymous attacked a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) webserver (business.ftc.gov, consumer.gov and ncpw.gov); Anonymous also plans to attack government and corporate sites under the theme of #FFF (Fuck the FBI Friday)	WIRED		23
	22-Feb-12	LAW	BUS		Jackie Calmes; John H. Cushman Jr. Contributor: John Harwood	Obama Unveils Proposal to Cut Corporate Tax Rate		White House: President Obama asked Congress to reduce the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 28% (25% for manufacturers)	NYT		24
	23-Feb-12	LAW	FIN		Ben Proress	Regulators Adopt New Derivatives Rules		The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to adopt new rules for the biggest players in the derivatives industry (swap dealers include big banks, brokerages, energy-trading firms, hedge funds, etc.); the size of the derivatives industry is estimated at $600 trillion	NYT-DealBook		25
	24-Feb-12	PRO	BUS	JUST	A Guest	Geo Group Prison Industry Hacked & Defaced By Anonymous On #Fuckfbifriday Umad??		Anonymous hacked The Geo Group website: "As part of our ongoing efforts to dismantle the prison industrial complex, we attacked one of the largest private prison corporations in the US – Geo Group. Despite the well documented history of corruption, scandal, and atrocities that companies like GEO perpetuate each and every minute our friends are locked behind their prison walls, the private prison industry is still booming" [hashtags: #anonymous, #antisec, #fuckfbifriday, #occupywallstreet, #freeanons] [source: Pastbin]. The Geo Group 2011 results: revenue, $1.6 billion; net profit, $77.5 million [source: AFP, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gBwPi3Q43wMi5Ab1AFaNymZ2-6sw].	Pastebin		26
	27-Feb-12	VIO	GOV	LAW		Scores reported dead in Syria violence		Syria: violence throughout Syria killed reportedly >125 people, including ≥64 in Homs; despite the violence, 89.4% of voters in a referendum voted for a new constitution allowing for a multiparty system (57.4% of eligible voters voted)	Al Jazeera-Agencies		27
	1-Mar-12	PRO	BUS	LAW	Peter Fedynsky	Occupy Movement Turns Anger Towards Individual Corporations		The Occupy Wall Street movement is targeting corporations it alleges are corrupt; also targeted is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – an organization corporations are using to allegedly "get state legislators to vote their way on bills"	VOA News		28
	3-Mar-12	ACC	OIL	LAW		BP announces settlement with PSC, subject to final written agreement, to resolve economic loss and medical claims from Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill		BP reached a ~$7.8 billion settlement with the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (PSC). Prior to this settlement, BP paid out: >$8.1 billion to individuals, businesses and government entities; ~$14 billion on operational response.	BP		29
	6-Mar-12	LAW	PRO		Kim Zetter. Contributors: David Kravets; Ryan Singel	LulzSec Leader Was Snitch Who Helped Snag Fellow Hackers		A member of LulzSec (online name "Sabu"), who was "secretly arrested," reportedly helped authorities arrest other hacker members of the group.	WIRED		30
	6-Mar-12	BANK	LAW	DEBT	Michael J. De La Merced	Lehman Estate Emerges From Bankruptcy		Lehman exits from Chapter 11; Lehman filed for bankruptcy on 15-Sep-2008	NYT-DealBook		31
	6-Mar-12	FIN	FRAUD	JUST	Clifford Krauss	Stanford Convicted by Jury in $7 Billion Ponzi Scheme		U.S.: R. Allen Stanford was convicted on 13 out of 14 counts of fraud in connection with a Ponzi scheme involving >$7 billion; Stanford was accused of defrauding ~30,000 investors in 113 countries	NYT		32
	6-Mar-12	LAW	PRO			Six Hackers in the United States and Abroad Charged for Crimes Affecting Over One Million Victims: Four Principal Members of “Anonymous” and “LulzSec” Charged with Computer Hacking and Fifth Member Pleads Guilty; “AntiSec” Member also Charged with Stealing Confidential Information from Approximately 860,000 Clients and Subscribers of Stratfor		FBI: "Five computer hackers . . . were charged today, and a sixth pled guilty, for computer hacking and other crimes. The six hackers identified themselves as aligned with the group Anonymous . . . and/or offshoot groups related to Anonymous, including “Internet Feds,” “LulzSec,” and “AntiSec.”"	FBI		33
	8-Mar-12	GOV	LAW	SEC		Bill Summary & Status: 112th Congress (2011 - 2012): H.R.347		H.R.347 "Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011" (Public Law No: 112-98) was signed into law by President Obama [critics of this law contend that the bill "would severely limit the First Amendment rights of protesters"; see http://dailyagenda.org/2012/03/05/congress-votes-for-the-end-of-protest/]	The Library of Congress: THOMAS		34
	8-Mar-12	PRO	GOV	LAW		America's Authoritarian Turn: Speaking truth to power becomes a crime		Adbusters Blog: "Ever since the rise of Occupy, corporatist authorities have been trying to figure how to squash our emerging social movement. . . Now they are trying the new tactic of “lawfare” – using draconian laws to squash free speech in a last ditch effort to put an end to people power." President Obama signed bill H.R. 347 into law on 9-Mar-2012. The bill "makes it a federal crime to disrupt “Government business or official functions” or to enter any building where a “person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting.” "	Adbusters		35
	9-Mar-12	BANK	LAW	REL	Tim Reid	Banks foreclosing on churches in record numbers		U.S.: banks are foreclosing on churches in record numbers; according CoStar, in 2011, 138 churches were sold by banks (up from 24 in 2008)	Reuters		36
	13-Mar-12	LAW				DISPUTE SETTLEMENT: US, Japan and EU file disputes against China		World Trade Organization (WTO): the U.S., Japan and the EU filed disputes against China regarding China's restrictions on export of rare earths, tungsten and molybdenum	WTO		37
	13-Mar-12	GOV	LAW	SEC	Michael S. Schmidt	New Interest in Hacking as Threat to Security		U.S.: according to DHS, during the 5-month period ending Feb-2012, the number of reported attacks on computer systems increased to 86 (up from 11 YOY), and the number of hacking incidents increased to 50,000 (up from 40,000 YOY); the federal government is seeking increased authority to regulate infrastructure security	NYT		38
	14-Mar-12	LAW	MON	RES	Ellen M. Ryan; Laura E. Simmons	Securities Class Action Settlements: 2011 Review and Analysis		The number of court-approved securities class action settlements in 2011 decreased to 65 (a 10-year low; down 25% YOY); and settlement funds in 2011 tumbled to $1.362 (down 58% YOY) [see also http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/court-approved-class-action-settlements-at-decade-low/]	Cornerstone Research		39
	14-Mar-12	BANK	LAW	FRAUD	Matt Taibbi	Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail –The bank has defrauded everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed. So why does the government keep bailing it out?		Incredible article by Matt Taibbi on Bank of America: "The bank has defrauded everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed. So why does the government keep bailing it out? . . . Bank of America is now bigger and more dangerous than ever. . . Last year, the Federal Reserve allowed Bank of America to move a huge portfolio of dangerous bets into a side of the company that happens to be FDIC-insured, putting all of us on the hook for as much as $55 trillion in irresponsible gambles. . . The bank . . .  made a habit out of breaking the law and engaging in ethical lapses on a grand scale, all over the globe. . . Bank of America didn't pay a dime in federal taxes last year. . . They paid out $35 billion in bonuses and compensation that year. You do the math."	Rolling Stone		40
	21-Mar-12	GOV	BANK	LAW	Edward Taylor; Gary Hill (ed.)	Deutsche Bank Changes Legal Status of U.S. Unit		Deutsche Bank changed the legal status of Taunus Corp, its U.S. subsidiary, to avoid the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act [see Deutsche Bank: Annual Report 2011 on Form 20-F, as filled with the SEC, 20-Mar-2012, http://www.db.com/ir/en/download/SEC_Form_20-F_2011.pdf]	NYT: Reuters		41
	21-Mar-12	GOV	FIN	LAW	William L. Watts	Osborne cuts U.K. corporate tax, top personal rate		U.K. to cut (1) the corporate tax rate from 26% to 24% in Apr-2012; and (2) the top marginal personal tax rate from 50% to 45% in Apr-2013	MarketWatch		42
	24-Mar-12	PRO	JUST		Ovetta Wiggins	Demonstrators at Freedom Plaza rally in memory of Trayvon Martin		U.S.: people seeking justice demonstrate in memory of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Floridian killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer on 26-Feb-2012; millions of people support Martin via social media	NYT		43
	24-Mar-12	MEDIA	FIN	LAW		A Long Road to Regulating Derivatives		New York Times Editorial: " . . . the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market is still dominated by a handful of big banks, and regulation is a slow work in progress. That means Americans, and the economy, remain at risk."	NYT-Editorial		44
	25-Mar-12	GOV	LAW	REL		Islamists Win Majority on Egypt's Constitution-Drafting Panel		Egypt: Islamists won a majority of seats on a 100-member constituent assembly; the assembly is tasked with drafting a new constitution	VOA News-AP-AFP		45
	26-Mar-12	BANK	LAW	SEX		Strauss-Kahn Receives Prostitution-Related Charges		Charges were filed against ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn alleging he was involved in a French prostitution ring; apparently DSK attended orgies but did not know the orgies involved prostitutes	NYT: AP		46
	29-Mar-12	PRO	LAW	JOBS	Lauren Frayer. Contributor: Henry Chu	In Spain, millions join strike to protest labor reforms		Spain: millions of Spaniards protested against new labor laws favoring companies [dismantling of collective bargaining; low wages; job cuts] and other austerity measures imposed by lenders; violence against financial institutions was reported; ~25% of the Spanish workforce and almost 50% of people under 25 are unemployed	Los Angeles Times		47
	30-Mar-12	PRO	LAW	MIL		Israeli forces face Palestinian 'Land Day' protests		Jerusalem: "Land Day" protest: ~15,000 Palestinians protested against Israeli discriminatory land policies	USA Today: AP		48
	30-Mar-12	SEC	FRAUD	FIN	Meghan Kelly	Over 50K Visa and Mastercard credit cards compromised, banks alerted		Cyber-criminals reportedly stole Visa and Mastercard credit-card data: 56,455 cards are potentially compromised	Venture Beat		49
	1-Apr-12	GOV	BANK	FRAUD		As Foreclosure Problems Persist, Fed Seeks More Fines		Federal regulators to crack down on 8 financial firms over home foreclosure practices; the 8 firms include: HSBC’s U.S. bank division, SunTrust Bank, MetLife, U.S. Bancorp, PNC Financial Services, EverBank, OneWest, and Goldman Sachs	NYT		50
	5-Apr-12	JUST	BANK	FRAUD	Brady Dennis	Judge approves foreclosure deal with banks		U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer approved a $25 billion settlement between the government and large banks – Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Ally Financial "to overhaul the flawed and fraudulent foreclosure practices" [see 9-Feb-2012] [the banks do not admit wrongdoing; see http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/business/fed-targets-eight-more-firms-in-foreclosure-probe.html]	Washington Post		51
	5-Apr-12	GOV	BANK	FRAUD		Banks Always Win		Editorial in the NYT titled" Banks Always Win": "Citing “unsafe and unsound” foreclosure practices, the Federal Reserve said recently that it plans to penalize eight financial firms . . . We’ll believe it when we see it. If recent history is any guide, regulators are more likely to offer the banks a way to avoid fines for harmful and egregious behavior. That means there will be no deterrent against future misbehavior."	NYT-Editorial		52