Gonzales acknowledges mistakes in handling US Attorney firings but stays on News
Gonzales acknowledges mistakes in handling US Attorney firings but stays on

[JURIST] US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile] said Tuesday he will not resign [AP recorded video] from his position in response to growing controversy over the firings last year of eight US Attorneys that may have been politically motivated [JURIST report]. Gonzales nonetheless accepted responsibility and admitted "mistakes were made" when the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] publicly dismissed the US Attorneys and subsequently misled Congress about the firings. According to e-mails [PDF; set 2, PDF] revealed Tuesday, Gonzales' Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson [profile] and former White House counsel Harriet Miers [official profile; JURIST news archive] suggested firing [JURIST report] all 93 US Attorneys [DOJ backgrounder] at the beginning of President Bush's second term. Sampson resigned [press release] from his position Monday.

In response to Gonzales' comments, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) [official website], among others, renewed his calls for Gonzales to resign in a statement [recorded video] on the Senate floor. Several high-ranking Democratic senators also called for Gonzales' resignation [JURIST report] Monday in the wake of revelations [JURIST report] in an official audit that the FBI broke and misused laws in obtaining personal information from telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, and credit bureaus under the Patriot Act. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.