NY Port Authority wants jury verdict set aside in WTC bombing case News
NY Port Authority wants jury verdict set aside in WTC bombing case

[JURIST] The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey [official website] has asked that a jury verdict finding it negligent [JURIST report] in the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center [Wikipedia backgrounder] be set aside. According to a motion filed earlier this week, the Port Authority is arguing that the judge in the case, New York Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Figueroa, improperly influenced the outcome of the case based on his belief that the plaintiffs should win. As evidence, the Authority quotes Figueroa as saying during a pre-trial hearing, "Would I be justified in vacating any verdict which completely absolved the Port Authority? I think I would." Although no damages have been awarded in the case yet, the jury found the Port Authority responsible for failing to increase security at the buildings and to properly maintain the garage where terrorists detonated an explosives-laden van. Wednesday's New York Times has more [registration required].

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.