House Ethics Committee issues subpoenas in page program misconduct probe News
House Ethics Committee issues subpoenas in page program misconduct probe

[JURIST] The US House Ethics Committee [official website] Thursday opened its investigation into allegations of misconduct related to the House Page program [backgrounder, PDF], issuing nearly four dozen subpoenas for witnesses and documents, according to statements [1, 2, text] issued by the Committee leadership. A special bipartisan subcommittee, set up under HR 1065 [text of resolution], is being led by Doc Hastings (R-WA) [official website], and Ranking Minority Member Howard Berman, (D-CA) [official website], and also contains two other members, one from each party.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL [official website], who has come under fire [BBC report] after allegations that he had prior knowledge of the sexually explicit e-mails sent from ex-congressman Mark Foley [JURIST news archive] to teenage males in the House Page program, says he will not resign and is willing to testify to the committee if subpoenaed. Foley, who stepped down [Reuters report] after being confronted with transcripts of the messages he sent to the pages, has since begun treatment for alcohol abuse, and has admitted that he is gay, but has denied any sexual contact with minors. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.