Appeals court rules FTC cannot force lawyers to provide confidentiality notice News
Appeals court rules FTC cannot force lawyers to provide confidentiality notice

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion text, PDF] Tuesday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [official website] lacks the statutory authority to compel lawyers to provide periodic notice of privacy to clients under the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act [text], regulating "financial institutions." The Court said that Congress never intended for the Act to apply to lawyers and the FTC had overstepped the bounds of its power under the statute. The American Bar Association (ABA) [profession website] contends [press release] that clients are better protected by the ethical codes of conduct for lawyers that each state imposes and that notices under the Act would only confuse clients who already expect confidentiality. The ABA and New York State Bar Association [official website] brought the suit against the FTC. 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.