White House close to selecting new attorney general: officials News
White House close to selecting new attorney general: officials

[JURIST] US President George W. Bush has narrowed the list of candidates to replace outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile; JURIST news archive], with officials indicating that former Solicitor General Theodore Olson [official profile] is one of the top candidates for the position. Senate Judiciary Committee member Charles Schumer (D-NY) [official website] was quoted in Wednesday's New York Times as saying that Olson's candidacy suggests the White House is not looking to work with the Democrats to reach a consensus on choosing a replacement, as Olson is considered by many to be very partisan. White House aides counter, however, that it would be difficult for Democrats to block a confirmation after spending months demanding that a new attorney general replace Gonzales.

Gonzales announced his resignation [letter, PDF; JURIST report] on August 27, saying that it will take effect on September 17 [JURIST report]. His resignation followed months of controversy over the Justice Department's handling of the firings of eight US Attorneys [JURIST news archive] and subsequent allegations that he may have perjured himself [JURIST report] in testimony before Congress. Current Solicitor General Paul Clement [official profile] will serve as acting attorney general until the Senate confirms a new permanent official. The New York Times has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.