Abu Ghraib suspect England waives right to challenge charges News
Abu Ghraib suspect England waives right to challenge charges

[JURIST] Lawyers for Pfc. Lynndie England [Wikipedia profile] on Tuesday decided to forgo her right to challenge the seven charges she faces for her role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal [JURIST news archive]. England defense attorney Capt. Jonathon Crisp did not elaborate on why he decided not to go forward with the Article 32 hearing [text], the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury hearing. Fort Hood commanding general Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz will now decide if England faces any or all of the earlier charges. A prosecution spokeman speculated that if Metz orders a trial it could start as soon as June. England's initial guilty plea was rejected and a mistrial declared [JURIST report] by a judge earlier this month. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.