German upper house passes EU Treaty of Lisbon News
German upper house passes EU Treaty of Lisbon

[JURIST] The German Bundesrat [official website], the upper house of the German parliament, voted Friday [BBC report] to approve the EU reform treaty, known formally as the Treaty of Lisbon [PDF; official website]. All but one of the sixteen states represented in the Bundesrat voted in favor of approval. The treaty was approved by the Bundestag [JURIST report], the lower house of parliament, in April. The treaty has not cleared all major legislative hurdles in Germany, and still needs final approval from German President Horst Koehler [BBC profile]. Deutsche Welle has more.

Leaders from the 27 countries that make up the European Union signed the reform treaty [JURIST report] last December, but all member nations must also ratify the document before it can take effect. Fourteen countries have now ratified the reform treaty [JURIST archive]. Ireland will hold a referendum in June so that citizens may vote on ratification. This month, the UK High Court agreed [JURIST report] to consider whether the British government must also put the treaty to a public vote. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.