Federal appeals court temporarily stops deportation of Afghan man who aided US military News
Federal appeals court temporarily stops deportation of Afghan man who aided US military

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order to an Afghan man trying to enter the US on a Special Immigration Visa, which are granted to those who have assisted the US military in Afghanistan. Earlier in the week, Judge Linares [official website] of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey had ruled to allow the deportation [order, PDF], saying that the Afghan man “voluntarily withdrew his application for admission to the United States” and gave up his Special Immigration Visa when he was questioned at Newark International Airport. And because the unnamed Afghan man no longer possessed a valid visa, the court lacked jurisdiction to grant a temporary restraining order.

Also on Wednesday, a federal judge in Hawaii issued [JURIST report] a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump’s new travel ban barring entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations in Africa and the Middle East. A federal judge in Maryland made a similar ruling early Thursday. Earlier in the week, five states, including California, [JURIST report] joined a lawsuit arguing that the ban is based on racial and religious discrimination. Last week a judge allowed [Reuters report] a similarly situated Afghan family to enter the nation after they were held at the Los Angeles International Airport for nearly two days.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.