Ninth Circuit allows Nazi gold suit against Vatican Bank News
Ninth Circuit allows Nazi gold suit against Vatican Bank

[JURIST] The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals [court website] ruled Monday that claims against the Vatican Bank made by Eastern European survivors of the Holocaust should be heard in federal court. While Supreme Court decisions restrict the roles federal courts may assume in international matters, the Ninth Circuit ruling [PDF] upheld the suit in light of the need for a prompt resolution due to the advanced age of many of the plaintiffs, and because no other actions are pending in the dispute. The suit alleges that all or a portion of the treasury of the Nazi puppet regime in Croatia was disbursed to Catholic clergymen for transfer to Rome upon the collapse of the Nazi reign in Europe, and eventually found its way into the Vatican Bank's possession. A website for claims against the Vatican Bank has been set up by the plaintiffs. The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.