Spain court assigns new judge to probe US officials who backed Guantanamo News
Spain court assigns new judge to probe US officials who backed Guantanamo

[JURIST] A Spanish court assigned a new judge Thursday to decide whether to prosecute members of the Bush administration behind the establishment of the Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detention center, a court spokesperson told CNN [CNN report]. Eloy Velasco will replace Baltasar Garzon [BBC profile; JURST news archive] in determining whether to seek legal action against former US attorney general Alberto Gonzales and six other Bush administration lawyers who are accused [complaint, PDF in Spanish; JURIST report] of sanctioning torture. Velasco was given the case after Garzon recommended that the provisional case be assigned to an investigating magistrate.

Last week, Spanish prosecutors announced that they would not recommend trying any of the named defendants [JURIST report] because they had not committed acts of torture. Garzon, famed for indicting Osama bin Laden and former Latin American dictator Augusto Pinochet [JURIST news archives], is well known for his involvement in high-profile investigations of terror and human rights cases under the universal jurisdiction principle. In February, Spain announced that it is considering legislation to limit [JURIST report] the the scope of universal jurisdiction to those cases that have a substantial link to the country or its citizens.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.