UPDATE ~ Texas governor grants stay of execution for death row inmate News
UPDATE ~ Texas governor grants stay of execution for death row inmate

[JURIST] Governor Rick Perry of Texas granted a stay of execution to Frances Newton Wednesday only two hours before Newton was scheduled to die by lethal injection. Gov. Perry said in a statement that he granted the stay to allow for the retesting of gunpowder residue found on Newton's skirt using technology that was not available in 1988 when Newton was convicted of capital murder. As reported earlier today in JURIST's Paper Chase, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had recommended that Perry grant a reprieve of the execution with a 5-1 vote. Newton would have been the first black woman executed in Texas in modern times. Read Governor Perry's press release announcing the stay here. A letter from the ACLU on Newton's behalf, typical of letters sent to Goveror Perry by other rights groups, is here. The Houston Chronicle 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.