An appeals court in Peru has upheld the 28 year sentence of Joran Van der Sloot for homicide and simple theft pertaining to the murder of Stephany Flores. Van der Sloot's attorney, Maximo Altez, had sought a lower sentence.

According to the chief Judge, Javier Villa Stein, the decision means Van der Sloot will have to serve his entire sentence in Peru before being extradited to the U.S. to face his extortion charge pertaining to Natalee Holloway's mother.

Javier Villa Stein, president of the high court, who noted that this decision was made unanimously after evaluating the sentence issued in January 2012 on charges of homicide and simple theft. Furthermore, [Judge Stein] noted that Van der Sloot must meet his sentence in Peru before being extradited to the United States....

Busy work day for me, open thread for you.

All topics welcome except Zimmerman and TM Martin.

The House rejected the Amash Amendment to block funding for NSA's mass warrantless surveillance program.

The measure was narrowly defeated, 205-217, after last-minute lobbying by the Obama administration and House members on the intelligence panel, who said the program was crucial to national security.

The measure, from Rep. Justin Amash (R., Mich.), would have blocked funding for the National Security Agency to collect phone records unless they pertained to a particular person under investigation. The program came to public attention due to disclosures by Edward Snowden, the former NSA employee who recently released details of two classified programs.

Republicans with libertarian leanings joined with liberal Democrats in voting for the Amendment, but it wasn't enough. I, for one, sincerely appreciate their efforts.

The Amash Amendment to end NSA's bulk electronic surveillance program will be voted on this week.

"The amendment would prevent the NSA, the FBI and other agencies from relying on Section 215 of the Patriot Act "to collect records, including telephone call records, that pertain to persons who are not subject to an investigation under Section 215."">will get a vote, probably Thursday. Debate is expected late today.

The vote by itself will not restrict the surveillance, it would simply include Amash's amendment in the annual Defense appropriations bill, which the House is considering this week; the Senate must also approve the bill before it goes to President Obama's desk.

The House Intelligence Committee supports it, the House Judiciary Committee opposes it.

Go here and see how your rep is voting. Send them a tweet urging them to pass the Amendment

A hearing was held yesterday on sequester cuts to defender services. Funding for federal defender services is quickly becoming a constitutional crisis. Federal defender offices are facing closure, federal courts are considering doing away with juries in civil cases, fees for appointed counsel are being delayed, and funding is being slashed for probation and pre-trial services. The Judiciary has requested emergency funding, and Congress has not acted on it. Here is the statement of Hon. Julia S. Gibbons, Chair of the Committee on the Budget of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

But the U.S. has money to buy Costa Rica $30,000 of new computers as a "display of friendship" to be used in developing crime-fighting strategies, as part of the CARSI initiative.[More...]

Time for an open thread. All topics welcome except the Zimmerman case (and related and unrelated race issues) which have their own threads.

The House may vote later this week on repealing authority for the NSA Surveillance Program. The ACLU says call your representatives and tell them to vote Yes on the Amash Amendment.

The Amash Amendment would prevent the NSA from indiscriminately collecting the phone records of most Americans, including who we talk to, for how long, and how often.

Instead, it will limit the NSA's ability to collect these records to people who are actually under investigation under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Anthony Weiner is apologizing again and about to hold a press conference. [Added: He's staying in the race for Mayor.][More..]

Here's a video of Kate and William showing their new baby to the crowd gathered in front of the hospital. They are very warm and gracious.

When they left the hospital, Prince William put the baby in a car seat in the back of their personal vehicle and the couple then drove off.

No limousine, no throngs of security agents, and the couple walked right up to the public and chatted. How refreshing.

500 inmates, including many members of al Qaida have broken out of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Sunni insurgents, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, have been regaining strength in recent months and striking on an almost daily basis against Shi'ite Muslims and security forces amongst other targets.

The violence has raised fears of a return to full-blown conflict in a country where Kurds, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have yet to find a stable way of sharing power.

The Seminole County Sheriff's office today released a statement confirming that last Wednesday, four days after being acquitted of murder and manslaughter, George Zimmerman helped free a family of four from a rollover accident. [Added: Here are the 911 calls.]

After spotting the vehicle on the side of the road, George grabbed a fire extinguisher from inside his truck, thinking a fire might break out, and with another man, freed the trapped family before first responders arrived at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle identified Zimmerman as the man who pulled him to safety. Officers spoke with Zimmerman who then left the scene. [More...]

Update: It's a boy.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, also known as Princess Kate, has entered a London hospital in the early stages of labor.

This is really big news in England. The media has been camped outside the hospital for days.

Following tradition, after the baby is born, a notice with details will be posted on the easel pictured above.

The formal announcement that a baby has been born will be made in a statement driven by car from the hospital across London and posted on an easel in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

There will also be a 41-gun salute.[More...]

The Pentagon has sent out a notice that periodic review boards will be reinstated to evaluate 71 detainees and determine whether any any should be transferred.

46 captives currently held as “indefinite detainees,” a category created by an Obama Task force in 2010 of captives considered too dangerous to release but for whom there was no evidence that could justify a criminal trial;

25 other captives who in 2010 were listed as candidates for trials by military commissions or civilian courts.

The notice also seems to be timed for Wednesday's congressional hearing, "Closing Guantanamo: The National Security, Fiscal, and Human Rights Implications."

46 detainees are now being force-fed.

In other news, judges warn that the sequester may trigger a constitutional crisis.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome, except those related to George Zimmerman. Please use a Zimmerman-related thread for to discuss his case or matters related to race.

The Constitution is not a rough draft. You don't get to edit or erase parts of it to delete rights for an unpopular or hated defendant.

The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the rights of the citizen accused from the awesome powers of the Government. It was not enacted to protect the rights of crime victims.

The presumption of innocence is a bedrock of our criminal justice system that applies to the person charged with a crime, not the victim of a crime.

Self-defense is an affirmative defense that may be raised by a defendant in court in response to a criminal charge. [More...]