Federal judge rules Rice, other US officials must testify in AIPAC espionage case News
Federal judge rules Rice, other US officials must testify in AIPAC espionage case

[JURIST] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [official profile] and other senior administration officials must testify about whether they shared classified national defense information with two American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) [advocacy website] lobbyists, a federal judge ruled [opinion, PDF] Friday. Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, indicted [PDF text; JURIST report] in 2005 under the 1917 Espionage Act [18 USC 793 text] for allegedly conspiring to receive and disclose classified US defense information over a five-year period dating back to 1999, maintain that they played an unofficial but sanctioned role in crafting American-Israeli foreign policy, and that Rice and others can confirm it.

In August, Rice and other senior administration officials argued they should be exempt from testifying [JURIST report], but US District Judge T.S. Ellis III said that the defendants have a right to argue that they regarded the meetings as simply another back channel for diplomacy. If the White House is unable to successfully challenge the subpoenas it could be forced to drop the case against the AIPAC officials. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.