O’Connor says more clarity necessary in detainee rules News
O’Connor says more clarity necessary in detainee rules

[JURIST] Retiring US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor [OYEZ profile] called for clearer rules regarding prisoner detention and interrogation during a speech at West Point [official website] Thursday. O'Connor said the situations at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archives] reflected the confusion of soldiers and a need for guidance. The US Supreme Court has ruled that foreign-born detainees should have access to US courts [JURIST report], but O'Connor said that it was up to Congress and the President to make broad policy decisions. O'Connor spoke to 4,000 military cadets after receiving the Thayer Award [West Point backgrounder] for exemplifying the academy's "Duty, Honor, Country" motto. Earlier this month, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) [official websites] pushed forward legislation [JURIST report] calling for restrictions on the detention, interrogation and prosecution of terror suspects. A Senate amendment to a military appropriations bill is now in conference with the House; President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it comes to him with detention and interrogation provisions. AP 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.