US Marine sentenced to 18 months in Hamdania murder of Iraqi civilian News
US Marine sentenced to 18 months in Hamdania murder of Iraqi civilian

[JURIST] US Marine Corps Pfc. John J. Jodka III [advocacy website] was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in military custody for his role in the murder of an Iraqi civilian in Hamdania [USMC timeline; JURIST news archive] last spring. Jodka, one of eight servicemen originally charged in connection with the killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad [Wikipedia profile], pleaded guilty last month to assault and obstruction of justice charges [JURIST reports]. Awad was shot and his body left by the side of the road with a shovel and an AK-47, making him look like an insurgent. AP has more.

Lance Cpl. Tyler Jackson and US Navy Petty Officer Melson Bacos [JURIST reports] have also pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the Hamdania incident. On Tuesday, Cpl. Trent D. Thomas pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to charges of murder, kidnapping, and other offenses related to the death. A fourth serviceman, Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr., is expected to plead guilty [JURIST report] to assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice at an arraignment hearing scheduled for Monday.

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.

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