Gonzales recuses himself from Enron case News
Gonzales recuses himself from Enron case

[JURIST] The Justice Department announced late Thursday that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [JURIST news archive] will not oversee the Enron criminal proceedings [JURIST news archive]. While no reason was given for the decision, Gonzales did legal work for Enron in the early 1990s, and accepted a $6,000 campaign contribution from an Enron political committee. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft also recused himself from the proceeding because he accepted campaign funds from the company during his Senate campaign. The proceeding will continue as scheduled, but prosecutors on the case will not report all the way up the chain of command to Gonzales. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Dreyfus convicted of treason

On December 22, 1894, Jewish French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial trial that prompted worldwide allegations of anti-Semitism. Dreyfus was later cleared. Learn more about the case of Alfred Dreyfus and read an English translation of the famous public letter J'Accuse...! by novelist and Dreyfus partisan Emile Zola.

US passed Embargo Act, banning foreign trade

On December 22, 1807, the Embargo Act was passed at the urging of US President Thomas Jefferson. The act barred trade with any foreign nations in an effort to avoid American entry into the Napoleonic Wars of Europe. However, the act proved unenforceable and was replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, which barred trade with France and Great Britain. Learn more about the Embargo Act of 1807 from Monticello.org