Appeals court holds partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional News
Appeals court holds partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional

[JURIST] The US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis Friday upheld a Nebraska federal district court ruling [JURIST report] in Carhart v. Gonzalez [appeals opinion, PDF] finding the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act [text] unconstitutional because it lacks an exception for the health of the mother. Federal courts in San Francisco [JURIST report] and New York [JURIST report] have already issued similar rulings and the issue is expected to reach the US Supreme Court. In Friday's appeals court opinion, Judge Kermit Bye said, "when ‘substantial medical authority' supports the medical necessity of a procedure in some instances, a health exception is constitutionally required." The Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the Carhart case in Nebraska, provides background and materials. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.