Patriot Act gag order appeal ruling [US SC] News
Patriot Act gag order appeal ruling [US SC]

Doe v. Gonzales, Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, October 7, 2005 [rejecting an emergency appeal filed by the ACLU on behalf of Connecticut libraries seeking to overturn a gag order that prevents a library involved in the litigation from revealing its name, and bars its librarians from testifying in upcoming congressional hearings on the Patriot Act]. Read the full text of the order here [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Reign of Terror begins in French Revolution

On April 6, 1793, the Committee of Public Safety took power as the executive agency of France during the French Revolution, starting the Reign of Terror. During this period, the Committee sought to eliminate "enemies of the Revolution" by summary trials of noblemen, clergy, merchants, and peasants alike. The Reign of Terror ended with the overthrow the Committee's last and most prominent member, Maximilien Robespierre. By this time, 20,000 to 40,000 Frenchmen and women had been executed by guillotine. Learn more about the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

'Scottsboro boys' put on trial for alleged rape of white women

On April 6, 1931, the nine "Scottsboro boys" were put on trial in Alabama on false charges of raping two white women during a freight train trip from Tennessee. Learn more about the trial of the Scottsboro boys.