| THIS DAY AT LAW |  |
| Today in legal history... |
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 Wednesday, March 10, 2010 |
James Earl Ray sentenced for the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. 
On March 10, 1969, James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.. Ray died in 1998, still seeking a retrial of his case.  On December 9th, 1999, a Memphis jury handed down a verdict agreeing with the King family that the 1968 assassination of the civil rights leader was a conspiracy rather than the act of a lone gunman. Learn more about the trial and the assassination from The King Center in Atlanta.
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 |
Amistad slave ship case decided
On March 9, 1841, the US Supreme Court ruled in The Amistad case that a group of slaves who took over their ship were free.  Learn more about The Amistad in JURIST's Famous Trials series.
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Northern Ireland votes to remain in UK
On March 9, 1973, residents of Northern Ireland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. 98% voted in favor of the referendum, but only 57% of the population participated. Catholic voters overwhelmingly boycotted the vote and civil war, known as "The Troubles", continued in Northern Ireland until the Good Friday Agreement, which provides for recognition of Northern Ireland's union with the United Kingdom until a majority of its population votes otherwise.  Read a history of the conflict in Northern Ireland from the University of Ulster.
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Monday, March 08, 2010 |
International Women's Rights Day
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Senate adopts cloture rule
On March 8, 1917, the U.S. Senate adopted the cloture rule to limit filibusters. Under Rule 22, two-thirds of Senators could vote to close debate on a given bill, thereby ending an ongoing filibuster. In 1975, that number was lowered to three-fifths of the Senate, which amounts to sixty Senators.  Read a history of filibuster and cloture from the archives of the U.S. Senate.
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Sunday, March 07, 2010 |
Selma-Montgomery march began with "Bloody Sunday"
On March 7, 1965, 525 civil rights activists began a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Just outside Selma, heavily armed police and deputies broke up the march with billy clubs and tear gas, injuring sixty-five people and hospitalizing 17 in a melee that became known as "Bloody Sunday."  After federal court protection had been secured, 3200 marchers started out again on March 21; by the time they reached Montgomery on March 25, their numbers had swelled to 25,000. Learn more about the Selma-to-Montgomery March from the US National Parks Service, which preserves the route as a National Historic Trail.
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UK House of Lords becomes an elected body
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