Romania constitutional court upholds bill facilitating presidential impeachment News
Romania constitutional court upholds bill facilitating presidential impeachment

[JURIST] The Romanian Constitutional Court [official website] Thursday upheld an opposition-sponsored bill making it easier to remove the country's president by reducing the number of popular votes required for impeachment. Existing legislation requires more than half of Romania's citizens to support removal, making impeachment almost impossible. President Traian Basescu [official website, English version; BBC profile] was suspended [JURIST report] by the opposition-dominated parliament last month for allegedly abusing his powers. Parliament has 30 days to organize a referendum on whether to impeach the president. Given the popularity of Basescu, who was elected in December 2004 and has targeted corruption, the referendum is expected to fail.

Last week the court upheld the suspension [JURIST report] of Basescu and designated Senate President Nicolae Vacaroiu [official website, in Romanian] as the country's interim leader. 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.