UK Home Secretary says ID cards will secure liberties, not erode them News
UK Home Secretary says ID cards will secure liberties, not erode them

[JURIST] UK Home Secretary David Blunkett said Wednesday that government plans to issue national ID cards will help protect people's identities rather than threaten their civil liberties. Blunkett, who was speaking at the Institute of Public Policy Research, said the extent of information on the cards would be limited to personal details including name, address, date of birth, along with a unique biometric identification such as a fingerprint or iris scan. The controversial plan was questioned by the Home Affairs committee in Parliament in a report [PDF] issued in July. Read a Home Office press release. The Home Office has more on the ID card plan. Northern Ireland's National 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.