Supreme Court hears cases on jury role in death penalty decisions News
Supreme Court hears cases on jury role in death penalty decisions

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] on Wednesday heard two cases involving jury deliberations in death penalty cases. In the first, Oregon v. Guzek [Duke Law case backgrounder; merit briefs], the Court considered whether juries can weigh any doubts they have about a defendant's guilt in deciding whether to impose the death sentence. In Kansas v. Marsh [Duke Law case backgrounder; merit briefs], the Court considered whether a sentencing scheme is constitutional when it imposes the death penalty when jurors found mitigating and aggravating evidence to be equal. The justices appeared unsympathetic to arguments by counsel for the defendants in both cases, with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia questioning what the parties wanted in the cases. The cases come shortly after the 1,000th execution in the US [JURIST report] since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1977. 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.