Supreme Court says unpublished opinions can be cited in federal courts News
Supreme Court says unpublished opinions can be cited in federal courts

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] on Wednesday approved Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1 [PDF text; notice], which permits attorneys to cite unpublished opinions in the federal circuit courts. The new rule does not dictate the precedential value that circuits can assign to unpublished opinions, but attorneys will always be allowed to cite them to the courts. Currently, citing unpublished opinions is prohibited by the Second, Seventh, Ninth and Federal circuits and six other circuits discourage their use. The rule only allows unpublished opinions filed on or after January 1, 2007 to be cited; unpublished opinions filed before then may be handled within the discretion of the circuit.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito [OYEZ profile] and Chief Justice John Roberts [OYEZ profile], who respectively served as chairperson and as a member on the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that drafted the rule, both supported the new rule before moving to the Supreme Court. Rule 32.1 will take effect in January 2007 unless Congress overrules it before December 1, 2006. The Legal Times 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.