China and US sign law enforcement cooperation agreement News
China and US sign law enforcement cooperation agreement

[JURIST] The Chinese Foreign Ministry [official website in English] announced Friday that the Sino-US Joint Liaison Group (JLG) has signed a joint agreement [Foreign Ministry press release in Chinese] at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of US and Chinese delegates in Beijing. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to cooperate and offer mutual legal assistance in the areas of illegal immigration, the extradition of fugitives, intellectual property infringement, anti-narcotics operations, and trans-national crime. The signing of the agreement also resulted in the institutionalization of the JLG and the establishment of regular yearly meetings. The JLG was originally conceived by the Clinton administration in 1998 and is headed by Liu Zhenmin of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Elizabeth Verville of the US State Department. Xinhua has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.