Plame sues Cheney, Libby, Rove over CIA leak case News
Plame sues Cheney, Libby, Rove over CIA leak case

[JURIST] Valerie Plame, the undercover operative whose revealed identity precipitated the CIA leak scandal [JURIST news archive], filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] in federal court Thursday against Vice President Dick Cheney, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove [official profile] and former vice-presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby [defense trust profile] for their alleged roles in the scandal. In the suit, Plame asserts that Cheney, Rove, Libby and 10 unnamed administration officials violated her rights to privacy, free speech, and equal protection under the US Constitution, claiming that the defendants conspired to expose Plame, threatening her career and endangering her family. Plame contends that the defendants revealed her identity as an undercover CIA operative in retaliation for the statements made by her husband, former US ambassador Joseph Wilson, in which he denied that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase materials for a nuclear weapon in Niger, as the Bush administration had claimed.

Libby, the only government official facing criminal prosecution in the scandal, pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] in November to charges of obstruction of justice and perjury [indictment, PDF; JURIST report], and some believe President Bush may pardon him [JURIST report]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.