Connecticut begins offering civil union licenses News
Connecticut begins offering civil union licenses

[JURIST] Connecticut joined Vermont Saturday as the second US state that recognizes civil unions for same-sex couples [JURIST report; a third state, Massachusetts, recognizes full gay marriage]. The development was marked by special Saturday hours at Hartford’s City Hall [press release, PDF], where 26 same-sex couples applied for their licenses. A New Haven spokesperson reported that only 10 couples applied for the licenses there on the first day of availability. In April, Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell [official profile] endorsed [press release] a 80-67 House of Representatives vote [JURIST report] amending the state statute that previously defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The new civil unions act [text; summary] grants civil unions the same “rights, protections, and responsibilities” as married couples. The Washington Post 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.