Canadian hockey amateurs file suit to have Stanley Cup put in play News
Canadian hockey amateurs file suit to have Stanley Cup put in play

[JURIST] A group of amateur hockey players in Canada called the "Wednesday Nighters" has filed a claim in Ontario Superior Court [official website] to determine whether who can play for the Stanley Cup [Wikipedia profile], the trophy traditionally awarded to the winner of the National Hockey League (NHL) [official website] playoffs. The amateurs are asking the court to clarify the terms under which nineteenth-century Canadian Governor-General Lord Stanley [historical profile] donated the Cup in 1892. The NHL season was cancelled in February due to a labor dispute [JURIST report]. The group's lawyer claims Lord Stanley's intention when he donated the cup was to have teams compete for and win the trophy every year. The group hopes to force Stanley Cup trustees Brian O'Neill and Ian Morrison to find teams to play for the Cup. O'Neill has already indicated that the Cup cannot be awarded for another competition due to an agreement with the NHL. The claim is scheduled to be heard on July 18, a month after the Stanley Cup is usually awarded; however, the group hopes to have the hearing moved up to May. 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.