Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage by national referendum News
Ireland legalizes same-sex marriage by national referendum

[JURIST] On Saturday Ireland became the first country to legalize [USA Today] same-sex marriage by national referendum. The results showed that 62.1% of voters were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. The traditionally conservative Catholic country surprised the international community and moved from criminalizing homosexuality to embracing same-sex marriage rights in a little over two decades. The Constitution of Ireland [text] will now be changed to allow same-sex couples to be legally wed. Praise for the decision came from both the Irish community and many international supporters.

Same-sex couples have varied marriage rights throughout the world. In January the US Supreme Court agreed [JURIST report] to rule on same-sex marriage, granting certiorari in four separate cases, and heard arguments [JURIST report] on one case in late April. A decision is expected by the end of June. In August Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyomb filed [JURIST report] an appeal against the constitutional court ruling that struck down the nation’s anti-homosexuality law. Last January the Nigerian president signed [JURIST report] the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act into law, banning same-sex marriage and criminalizing same-sex relationships. Similar laws exist in Singapore and Jamaica [JURIST reports].

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.