Indictment against former Pentagon analyst unsealed News
Indictment against former Pentagon analyst unsealed

[JURIST] The indictment filed against former Defense Department employee Lawrence Franklin for passing classified government information was unsealed Monday. The specific charges allege Franklin conspired to share national defense and other material with unauthorized persons, including two unnamed American Israel Public Affairs Committee [official website] employees. Franklin was arrested in May [JURIST report] and pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday in federal court. The indictment alleges that Franklin began meeting with the AIPAC employees in 2003 and shared highly classified information related to potential Iraqi attacks on US forces. It also charges Franklin with sharing information about a Middle Eastern country's nuclear program with an unidentified foreign official. Franklin’s trial is scheduled to begin September 6. Reuters has more. The Jerusalem Post has further coverage.

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.