ABA reviews recommendation for Supreme Court nominee Roberts News
ABA reviews recommendation for Supreme Court nominee Roberts

[JURIST] The American Bar Association (ABA) [official website] is revisiting the recommendation it gave for US Supreme Court nominee John Roberts [JURIST news archive] when he was nominated for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit [official website] in 2001 to determine if it will suffice as a stricter Supreme Court recommendation. The ABA's process includes interviewing more that 1,000 individuals including judges, law professors, community leaders, other lawyers, and Roberts himself. A committee of fifteen members has been created to oversee the recommendation review which will focus on Roberts' judicial temperament, integrity and professional competence. An August 20 vote is anticipated by the committee members to determine Roberts' rating of either well qualified, qualified or not qualified. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.