Rejection of DOJ motion to dismiss telecom surveillance lawsuit [US DC] News
Rejection of DOJ motion to dismiss telecom surveillance lawsuit [US DC]

Tash Hepting et al. v. AT&T et al., United States District Court for the Northern District of California, US District Judge Vaughn Walker, July 20, 2006 [rejecting a US Department of Justice motion to dismiss on state secrets grounds a class action lawsuit brought against AT&T alleging that the telecommunications giant violated citizens' rights to privacy as well as several federal statutes when it allowed the National Security Agency to use its infrastructure to wiretap US citizens as part of the President's domestic surveillance program]. Read the full text of the ruling [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Chief Justice Taft resigned

On February 3, 1930, Chief Justice William Howard Taft, former President of the United States, resigned from the United States Supreme Court for health reasons. He died 5 weeks later. Learn more about the life and career(s) of William Howard Taft and review his complex medical history.

Last execution in Australia

On February 3, 1967, Ronald Ryan became the last person executed in Australia. He was hanged in Pentridge Prison in Melbourne for killing a guard during an escape attempt. Belief in Ryan's innocence led to protests across the country, culminating in the Death Penalty Abolition Act of 1973. The Last Man Hanged, a documentary about the execution of Ronald Ryan, was released in 1993.