It was a busy week for the Supreme Court as the gay marriage debate finally reached its doorstep, giving the country a good look at a cause that has divided Americans for decades. Elsewhere in the world, North Korea creeps ever closer to instigating an all-out conflict as escalating political tensions prompted Pyongyang to issue a declaration of war. Finally, the nightmare isn’t over for Amanda Knox, as Italy’s highest court orders a re-trial into the death of Meredith Kircher, carrying on a court case that took years to reach a verdict.
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Supreme Court Debates Gay Marriage
The Supreme Court engaged in the gay marriage debate on Tuesday and Wednesday, with justices weighing in with their own arguments.
The two-day deliberations saw the Supreme Court tackle California’s Proposition 8 on Tuesday and the Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday. While the justices’ stance on Proposition 8 was viewed as ambiguous, the Supreme Court seemed fairly set on striking down DOMA, which legally defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
Formal rulings on both Proposition 8 and DOMA aren’t expected until June. However, you can view the Supreme Court’s arguments here to get an idea of what was said.
Italian Court Demands Amanda Knox Re-trial
Italy’s Court of Cassation has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox and demanded that the University of Washington student be re-tried for the 2007 murder of British roommate Meredith Kircher.
Knox and Kircher had been roommates studying abroad at the University of Perugia when Kircher’s body was found half-naked under a duvet, throat slit following a supposed sex game gone awry. Knox, then 20, and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Solicito were initially brought to trial based on DNA evidence at the crime scene. Both were first convicted, but then acquitted by an appeals court 18 months ago.
While the U.S. justice system operates under a double jeopardy law that prohibits an individual from being tried twice for the same crime, such a rule does not exist in Italy. It is unclear whether Knox will appear again for the re-trial, though the Italian court is willing to try her in absentia should Knox decide not to return to Italy.
The case will be re-heard at a new appeals court in Florence at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2014.
North Korea Declares “State of War” on U.S. and South Korea
The North Korean government declared a “state of war” on South Korea and its U.S. ally on Friday, with a full war declaration targeting the two countries.Â
The declaration came after a series of escalations that included the revocation of the peace pact between North and South Korea. Tensions between the U.S. and Pyongyang also rose this week after the U.S. flew two B-2 spirit bombers over South Korea in a show of force.
North Korea had cut off its last military hotline with South Korea on Wednesday. Pyongyang then followed this up by putting its rocket units on combat status, threatening to attack U.S. bases in the Pacific region.
The current military escalations are a direct result of Pyongyang’s fury over the U.S.’s attempt to impose more severe sanctions on North Korea, efforts that followed Pyongyang’s third nuclear weapons test.
Nelson Mandela Hospitalized Again
Former South African president and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela has been hospitalized once again.
Mandela, 94, was rushed to the hospital shortly before midnight on Wednesday due to a recurrent lung infection. He is reportedly conscious, though doctors are treating him with extra care given his most recent string of health problems.
“We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts,” said current South African President Jacob Zuma. “We have full confidence in the medical team and know that they will do everything possible to ensure recovery.”
As of Saturday morning, it was reported that Mandela was breathing normally and recovering steadily in the hospital.
Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994 after being released from prison in 1990. He served one five-year term before retiring.
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