New Orleans officials delay home demolitions while federal judge ponders suit News
New Orleans officials delay home demolitions while federal judge ponders suit

[JURIST] Officials in New Orleans have agreed to temporarily halt the scheduled demolition of thousands of private homes severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina [JURIST news archive] until a federal judge decides if he will hear a legal challenge. Community activists originally filed a lawsuit in state court to block the destruction of nearly 5,500 homes, arguing that some homeowners have not received proper notice; the complainants are now trying to shift the case to federal court. Opponents of the plan, including the National Urban League [official website], question the city's intent and suggest that the demolition will push out poor black residents and destroy neighborhoods [AP report] most heavily damaged by the storm. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin [official website] insists that the city does not intend to displace citizens, but must destroy any structure that poses an "imminent threat to public safety". A hearing on removal of the case to federal court is scheduled for January 19. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Tojo and other Japanese WWII leaders executed for war crimes

On December 23, 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed for war crimes in Tokyo.

Learn more about the Tokyo War Crimes Trials.

Terry Nichols convicted for Oklahoma City bombing

On December 23, 1997, Terry Nichols was found guilty of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter for assisting Timothy McVeigh in bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. He was later sentenced to life in prison. On April 19, 1995, McVeigh detonated a truck bomb that gutted the building and killed 168 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack on US. soil until the attacks of September 11, 2001. McVeigh was convicted for his role before Nichols on June 2, 1997. Learn more about the trials of Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh.