Canadian high court rules government must consult with natives before developing claimed land News
Canadian high court rules government must consult with natives before developing claimed land

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously Thursday that governments must consult with the Assembly of First Nations before developing land that aboriginal groups claim to own, but that governments need not receive consent before using land. The Court said that the duty of consultation applied even if title to land has not been proven through courts or treaties and said that developers aren't required to consult with First Nations. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote that "the commitment is to a meaningful process of consultation" and that aboriginal claimants "must not frustrate the Crown's reasonable good faith attempts, nor should they take unreasonable positions to thwart government from making decisions or acting in cases where, despite meaningful consultation, agreement is not reached." Read the Court's opinions in Taku River Tlingit First Nation v. British Columbia and Haida Nation v. British Columbia. CTV News has more.

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.