Israel's Supreme Court's three-judge panel ruled unanimously to reject former President Moshe Katsav's appeal of his rape charges. Katsav was ordered to spend seven years in jail for sexually harassing two women while serving as president and raping an employee during his term as cabinet minister.
Judge Salim Joubran stated, that Katsav "fell from the loftiest heights to the deepest depths. Such a senior official should be a role model to his subordinates. Every woman has a right to her own body. A right to dignity. A right to freedom. No one has the liberty to take any of those from her."
Katsav will begin to serve his sentence on December 7th. According to the Washington Post, "Katsav is the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sentenced to prison." Katsav was first accused in 2006 and resigned in 2007, just two weeks before his seven year term was set to expire.
Media Resources: Associated Press 11/10/11; Huffington Post 11/10/11
6/19/2013 House Passes 20 Week Abortion Ban - Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks gestation in a vote of 228 to 196. . . .
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
