New Jersey officials found guilty over ‘bridgegate’ scandal News
New Jersey officials found guilty over ‘bridgegate’ scandal

Bridget Kelly and William Baroni, former New Jersey officials under Governor Chris Christie [official website], were found guilty [tweet; US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey] Friday of all counts against them for the 2013 lane closings on the George Washington Bridge. Kelly and Baroni were facing nine counts [press release] including conspiring to fraudulently misuse federal property, wire fraud and deprivation of civil rights. The prosecution alleged [WSJ report] that Kelly and Baroni used the lane closings to cause massive traffic jams as an act of revenge against a New Jersey mayor for not supporting Christie’s reelection efforts.

Christie has denied having any knowledge that the closures, implemented under the guise of a traffic study, were to be used as political retaliation. Last month a New Jersey judge signed a summons accusing [JURIST report] Christie of misconduct for his alleged role in the closure of the bridge lanes. Christie was not charged by federal prosecutors or held responsible by other investigations into the George Washington Bridge lane-closure. The charges in the summons come from a citizen’s misconduct complaint. The complaint alleges that Christie “knowingly refrained from ordering that his subordinates take all necessary action to re-open local access lanes.”

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.