Leonard Baynes & David Gregory, St. John's University School of Law
Commentaries by David Gregory
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Leonard Baynes & David Gregory, St. John's University School of Law
Georgia became first US state to ban lynching
On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.
UN Drug Trafficking Convention signed
On December 20, 1988, the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was signed in Vienna, Austria. The treaty provides mechanisms for international coordination in preventing the manufacture and distribution of drugs worldwide. Over 170 countries have signed the treaty to date.
