Texas executes first black woman for 1987 killings News
Texas executes first black woman for 1987 killings

[JURIST] Frances Newton [Amnesty International backgrounder] was executed by lethal injection late Wednesday at Huntsville prison in Texas for fatally shooting her husband and two children in 1987, making her the first black woman executed by the state since it took over executions from counties in 1923. Several dozen protestors were present outside the prison at the time of her execution, but the number was much lower than that at 1998 demonstrations for Karla Faye Tucker [Wikipedia profile], the first woman executed in Texas. Supporters of Newton had campaigned [JURIST report] over the past several years to halt her execution, successfully obtaining a stay [JURIST report] from Gov. Rick Perry in December 2004. Attorneys for Newton requested a further 30-day stay [Houston Chronicle report] from Gov. Perry earlier this week, but were unsuccessful. Newton was convicted of killing her husband and children in 1987 to collect $100,000 in insurance. 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.