tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72793462010-03-10T00:00:00.137-05:00Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger682125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109517787165026112010-03-10T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-10T00:00:00.239-05:00

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

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109517606235075362010-03-09T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-09T00:00:01.179-05:00

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.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-31588538973917080072010-03-09T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-09T00:00:05.614-05:00

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

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109517336797364172010-03-08T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-08T00:00:00.202-05:00

March 8 is International Women's Rights and International Peace day, better known as International Women's Day [UN factsheet].US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was born on March 8, 1841. Learn more about Justice Holmes and pay a virtual visit to his gravesite at Arlington National Cemetary. Listen to a rare recording of Justice Holmes speaking on NBC Radio on the occasion of his

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-20574934905660396122010-03-08T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-08T00:00:03.522-05:00

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.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109517073756519872010-03-07T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-07T00:00:01.987-05:00

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

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-71962817961069752172010-03-07T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-07T00:00:01.586-05:00

On March 7, 2007, the Britain's lower house of Parliament, the House of Commons, voted to change the upper chamber, the House of Lords, to an elected body. Previously, appointments to the House of Lords were based on noble birth.Read a history of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the body's official website.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109516806299589982010-03-06T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-06T00:00:01.664-05:00

On March 6, 1857, the US Supreme Court announced its landmark decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford, holding that blacks - slaves as well as free - were not and could never become citizens of the United States, and that the 1820 Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.Learn more about the Dred Scott case from Washington University in St. Louis (the city where Dred Scott initially filed his suit for

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-71256787813084772922010-03-06T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-06T00:00:03.479-05:00

On March 4, 1834, the town of York in the British colony of Canada was incorporated as the City of Toronto.Learn the history of Toronto from the city's official website.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-55173071093842158222010-03-05T00:00:00.004-05:002010-03-05T00:00:03.159-05:00

On March 5, 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a nativity scene built on public land by the City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The Court in Lynch v. Donnelly held that the creche did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from passing any "law respecting an establishment of religion".

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109516509525933282010-03-05T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-05T00:00:04.199-05:00

On March 5, 1970, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty took effect after ratification by 43 countries.Read a brief history of the NPT.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-31977149064936765682010-03-04T00:00:00.005-05:002010-03-04T17:46:15.892-05:00

On March 4, 1982, Bertha Wilson became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109516149002471662010-03-04T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-04T00:00:06.447-05:00

On March 4, 1909, the Copyright Act of 1909 became law, making infringement of a copyright a federal crime for the first time. Review a brief history of copyright in the United States.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109515943337001532010-03-03T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-03T00:00:00.667-05:00

On March 3, 1879, Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.Learn more about women at the Supreme Court bar from the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-21288590784341106242010-03-03T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-03T00:00:02.568-05:00

On March 3, 1918, the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the communist government of Russia, ending Russian involvement in World War I. The treaty furthermore opened independence for Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.Read the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and other documents related to the Peace of

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1109515788613301202010-03-02T00:00:00.004-05:002010-03-02T00:00:01.498-05:00

Lord Mansfield (William Murray), Chief Justice of King's Bench and developer of English commercial law, was born in Scone, Scotland, on March 2, 1702.Learn more about Lord Mansfield from the Biddle Law Library, University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-6919927905921054452010-03-02T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-02T00:00:01.020-05:00

On March 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act, granting Puerto Rico status a United State territory and granting all of its residents U.S. citizenship. The Bill furthermore constructed a government and bill of rights for the island and allowed its residents to serve in the U.S. military.In 1952, the rights of Puerto Rico and its residents were further extended when the

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1108311523522641062010-03-01T00:00:00.003-05:002010-03-01T00:00:00.707-05:00

On March 1, 1875, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 became law. It declared:all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement; subject only to the conditions and limitations established by

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-21521596131271880052010-03-01T00:00:00.001-05:002010-03-01T00:00:07.048-05:00

On March 1, 1950, German-British atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a UK court for passing British and American nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.Read a biography of Fuchs and his confession from PBS.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1108308872204606762010-02-28T00:00:00.003-05:002010-02-28T00:00:02.553-05:00

On February 28, 1877, the US Congress ratified the Manypenny Agreement with the Lakota Sioux, under which the United States took control of 900,000 acres of the Black Hills. Read the ratification act, which includes the terms of the Agreement. The Lakota argue to this day that the Agreement is illegal, was obtained by coercion associated with starvation, and that the Black Hills should be

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-36874858555216086072010-02-28T00:00:00.001-05:002010-02-28T00:00:03.222-05:00

On February 28, 1933, German President Paul von Hindenburg issued the Presidential Decree for the Protection of People and State in response the burning of the Reichstag (the German Parliament building) on the previous day. More commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, the law suspended many key civil liberties, such as free press, habeas corpus, and warrant requirements. Blaming Communists

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1108308127852724302010-02-27T00:00:00.004-05:002010-02-27T00:00:01.806-05:00

On February 27, 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, prohibiting a President from being elected to more than two terms in office. Watch Term Limits and American Government, a CATO Institute Policy Forum recorded on the 50th anniversary of the 22nd Amendment in 2001.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-72647147366628570222010-02-27T00:00:00.001-05:002010-02-27T00:00:00.207-05:00

On February 27, 1999, Nigerians elected Olusegun Obasanjo as the country's President, ending 15 years of military rule under a series of dictators.

Ryan Oldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12393322696621055001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-1108307428294447192010-02-26T00:00:00.003-05:002010-02-26T00:00:01.442-05:00

On February 26, 1924, Adolf Hitler and several others were put on trial for treason in Munich in connection with an attempted putsch. Learn more about the Munich (or "Beer Hall") Putsch and the subsequent trial of Hitler and his associates.

Bernard Hibbittsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279346.post-2276951995678672912010-02-26T00:00:00.001-05:002010-02-26T00:00:05.219-05:00

On February 26, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the National Banking Act into law, creating the American banking charter system. The Act furthermore created the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) within the Treasury Department. The law was furthermore intended to help raise money for the Civil War by pressing banks to buy federal as opposed to state bonds. The law was not a

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