Congress policy analysts question legal justification of NSA surveillance News
Congress policy analysts question legal justification of NSA surveillance

[JURIST] The Congressional Research Service [welcome page, archives], the non-partisan public policy research arm of the US Congress, reported [text, PDF] Friday that although the legality of the NSA warrantless surveillance program [JURIST archive] could not be determined due to the need for classified materials, the legal justification [JURIST document] for the program "does not seem to be as well-grounded" as the Bush administration has asserted. The report also concluded that a court would likely find that Congress did not intend to legislatively authorize the surveillance operations under its 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. White House spokesmen maintain that the program was legally conducted, necessary to the war on terror, and protective of civil liberties. The New York Times 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.