California sentencing ruling [US SC] News
California sentencing ruling [US SC]

Cunningham v. California, US Supreme Court, January 22, 2006 [striking down as unconstitutional California sentencing rules that allow judges to exercise discretion to tack on additional years to prison sentences beyond thae period determined by a jury]. Read the Court's opinion [PDF] per Justice Ginsburg, along with a dissent [PDF] from Justice Kennedy and another dissent [PDF] from Justice Alito. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

French novelist defended Dreyfus in open letter

On January 13, 1898, the French journalist and novelist Emile Zola published an open letter entitled J'accuse in defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army who had been dubiously convicted of spying. Learn more about the Dreyfus Affair. Sentenced to prison for libel, Zola fled to England; he was granted amnesty and returned to France, but died of carbon monoxide poisoning before Dreyfus was exonerated.

Douglas Wilder takes office as first elected black governor

On January 13, 1990, Lawrence Douglas Wilder was sworn in as the governor of Virginia by former US Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Wilder was the first African-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state. He would also serve as Mayor of Richmond, the state's capital city, from 2005 through 2009. Learn more about the life and career of Douglas Wilder.