US Army deserter surrenders despite belief Iraq war ‘illegal’ News
US Army deserter surrenders despite belief Iraq war ‘illegal’

[JURIST] A US soldier who deserted to Canada in 2005 rather than continue fighting in what he calls an "illegal" Iraq war turned himself in Tuesday near Fort Knox, Kentucky [official website]. Spc. Darrell Anderson, 24, received a Purple Heart for combat with the 1st Armored Division [official website] in Iraq in 2004 before choosing to flee to Canada rather than respond to orders to return to a second tour of duty.

Anderson's lawyer said he will likely face a charge of desertion, and after a three- to five-day military investigation, will likely be given an other than honorable discharge. While in Canada, Anderson had applied for refugee status [Dominion report], though to qualify, Anderson would have to successfully argue that the US was persecuting him for exercising rights protected by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms [text]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Georgia became first US state to ban lynching

On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.