Parliament speaker will succeed Arafat, Palestinian authorities confirm News
Parliament speaker will succeed Arafat, Palestinian authorities confirm

[JURIST] The speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Rauhi Fattouh, will temporarily fill the post of president of the Palestinian Authority should Yasser Arafat die, Palestinian leaders confirmed Wednesday. Current Palestinian law (Article 54(2) of the Palestinian Basic Law) calls for the speaker to hold the position until elections can be held, but some officials were reportedly seeking to change it, arguing that Fattouh should not hold the position. However, Fatah and PLO officials decided against a change. Arafat remained in a coma Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage, with aides beginning burial arrangements. AP 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.