DOJ downplays Georgia voter ID law memo on harm to black voters News
DOJ downplays Georgia voter ID law memo on harm to black voters

[JURIST] The US Department of Justice [official website] has downplayed the conclusions of a 51-page memo [DOJ document] indicating that a Georgia voter identification law [PDF text] will harm black voters, saying the information was based on old data and followed a faulty analysis. Earlier this year, the Georgia state legislature passed a plan that requires all voters to have photo IDs, with many black lawmakers and Democrats opposing the measure. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 [DOJ backgrounder] mandates Georgia and other states with a history of discriminatory elections to submit changes in voting plans to the DOJ. After a review, senior Justice officials determined that the Georgia plan could proceed [JURIST report], but it has been blocked by federal courts [JURIST report] on constitutional grounds since then. The memo indicating harm to black voters was submitted by four or five members of a DOJ legal review team [JURIST report] one day before the Justice Department made its decision to allow the Georgia voting plan. A spokesman for the Justice Department said that the memo "was an early draft that did not include data and analysis from other voting section career attorneys who recognized the absence of a retrogressive effect." Friday's Washington Post 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.