BREAKING NEWS ~ Bush selects Harriet Miers as White House counsel News
BREAKING NEWS ~ Bush selects Harriet Miers as White House counsel

[JURIST] AP is reporting that President Bush has picked deputy chief of staff Harriet Miers as White House counsel, the post to be vacated by attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales.

1:10 PM ET – The AP story is available here. Harriet Miers formerly served as Bush's personal lawyer in Texas, and has been serving as deputy chief of staff since 2003. A bio of Harriet Miers is available here. The appointment of White House counsel does not require Senate confirmation.

10:00 PM ET – The official White House statement on the appointment is now online here.

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.