Voting problems, lawsuits linger after election News
Voting problems, lawsuits linger after election

[JURIST] One North Carolina electronic voting machine is thought to have lost more than 4,500 votes, which could affect the result in several local races; election officials have said that the manufacturer, UniLect, told them that each machine could handle 10,500 votes, but the actual storage capacity was closer to 3000 votes. AP has more. Meanwhile, election-related lawsuits are still in play in several swing states. The ACLU is backing a suit by Florida voters who received their absentee ballots too late to vote; see the ACLU site for details or read the full complaint here [PDF]. Tom Daschle filed suit in a South Dakota federal court alleging harassment of Native Americans at that state's polling places, winning an injunction [PDF] on election day, and the Ohio Democratic Party has sued the Secretary of State, claiming that a dearth of voting machines caused lines so long that many voters left before casting their votes. Read the full complaint here [PDF].

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.