Judge dismisses civil suit against Pope, recognizing head of state immunity News
Judge dismisses civil suit against Pope, recognizing head of state immunity

[JURIST] A US District Court judge Thursday dismissed a civil suit accusing Pope Benedict XVI [official profile] of conspiring to conceal clergy sex abuse [JURIST news archive], citing the pontiff's immunity as head of the Vatican state [official website]. Judge Lee Rosenthal, of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, ruled in response to a "Suggestion of Immunity" submitted by the Department of Justice [JURIST report], requesting the Pope be granted immunity because of incompatibility with the "United States' foreign policy interests." Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that Benedict, while serving as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [official website; Wikipedia backgrounder], conspired with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston [diocesan website] to cover up the abuse of three male children in the mid-1990's. A lawyer for the Pope said the ruling was significant because it treated the religious leader as the head of a foreign state. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.