Jury selection begins in ex-professor’s terror trial News
Jury selection begins in ex-professor’s terror trial

[JURIST] Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a former computer science professor and three others accused of funding a terrorist group responsible for a bombing in Israel. Sami Al-Arian [defense website, Wikipedia profile] is charged [JURIST report] with using an Islamic think tank he established as a front for finanicing terrorism. Defense lawyers have asked for a change in venue [AP report], claiming the publicity surrounding the investigating tainted the jury pool. His alleged terrorist activities were a hot-button issue [St. Petersburg Times report] in the 2004 Senate campaign between Betty Castor, who suspended Al-Arian while she was president of the University of South Florida, and Mel Martinez, who won the election. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.