Iranian leader orders parliament to halt impeachment of cabinet members News
Iranian leader orders parliament to halt impeachment of cabinet members

[JURIST] Iran's highest official, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [official website], told hard-line lawmakers in parliament Tuesday to stop the impeachment of cabinet members appointed by reformist President Mohammad Khatami [official website; BBC News profile]. Ali Khamenei's statement, a rare public political comment, was reported by the Iranian news agency. Conservative lawmakers who won election to parliament last year have already impeached one cabinet member and were expected to pursue the impeachment of two others. JURIST's Paper Chase has more coverage on Iran [JURIST Countries]. VOA News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

No lynchings reported in US for first time

On December 30, 1952, the Tuskegee Institute reported that 1952 was the first year of no lynchings of African Americans in the United States in the 71 years it had kept records. Learn more about lynching and listen to Billie Holiday's jazz recording of the 1938 protest song Strange Fruit.

USSR established

On December 30, 1922, representatives of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Transcaucus approved the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR, creating the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). During World War II, the USSR would also annex Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Moldova. Learn more about the history of the USSR from the BBC.