Two Zurich execs plead guilty in Spitzer insurance probe News
Two Zurich execs plead guilty in Spitzer insurance probe

[JURIST] Two senior insurance underwriters with Zurich Financial Services, the third-largest commercial insurer in the US, pleaded guilty Tuesday night to charges connected to NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's ongoing insurance bid-rigging investigation. Also Tuesday, Zurich reported receiving a subpoena from the SEC and Spitzer. The executives pleaded guilty to following instructions from brokers to submit losing bids, allowing contracts to go to designated parties. Both face up to a year in prison on the charges under NY's Donnelly Act. Spitzer's office has a press release on the plea deal. JURIST's Paper Chase has ongoing coverage of Spitzer's investigation into the insurance industry. The Financial Times has more.

9:30 AM ET – The Hartford Courant reports that investigations into the insurance industry are expected to widen following testimony by state officials and regulators before Congress Tuesday.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.