More election law violation charges laid against DeLay associates News
More election law violation charges laid against DeLay associates

[JURIST] Two men implicated in the growing scandal surrounding Texas Republican campaign groups associated with US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay [official website] have been charged with two additional felonies for violations in the 2002 election. Americans for a Republican Majority head Jim Ellis and John Colyandro, former executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority [Wikipedia profile], were both charged Tuesday with violating Texas election law and criminal conspiracy to violate the election law in addition to charges of money laundering. The indictment against the two is the seventh issued this month [JURIST report] by a Travis County grand jury investigating corporate campaign contributions to Texas Republicans. AP 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.