Former CIA director denies use of torture in interrogations News
Former CIA director denies use of torture in interrogations

[JURIST] Former CIA director George Tenet [BBC profile; Wikipedia profile] repeatedly denied that torture has been used during interrogations of terror suspects in an interview [text; recorded video part 1 and part 2] with CBS' 60 Minutes that aired Sunday. Tenet said that no one has ever died as a result of interrogation sessions and responded that he does not "talk about techniques" when asked if waterboarding [JURIST report; Wikipedia backgrounder] was ever used during questioning. Tenet did admit to "enhanced interrogation" methods, saying such methods were necessary after the Sept. 11 attacks [JURIST news archive]. Tenet reiterated that torture was not being used, however, despite acknowledging that he has never actually attended such interrogation sessions.

Tenet resigned [JURIST report] from his position at the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [official website] in 2004 after increasing criticism that intelligence failures allowed the Sept. 11 attacks to occur. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending WWII in Europe

On May 7, 1945, General Gustav Jodl, on behalf of Germany, signed an unconditional surrender, effectively ending World War II in Europe. The surrender was formally accepted by the Allied Powers the next day, May 8, which came to be known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

Read World War II legal documents, treaties, and declarations from the Avalon Project at the Yale University School of Law.

27th Amendment to US Constitution ratified

On May 7, 1992, the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, barring Congress from granting its members pay raises in the middle of terms. The Amendment had initially been proposed in 1789 by James Madison, but only became law after a grass-roots campaign in the 1980s against "excessive" Congressional privileges. Learn more about the Twenty-seventh Amendment.