ICC holds first meeting

The war crimes court known as the International Criminal Court (ICC) swore in its first batch of judges on March 11, 2003. The meeting took place eight months after the ratification of the court’s Rome Statute. Then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said of the occasion:

It has taken mankind many years to reach this moment.

By the solemn undertaking they have given here in open court, these 11 men and seven women, representing all regions of the world and many different cultures and legal traditions, have made themselves the embodiment of our collective conscience.

Learn more about the work of the ICC.

 

THIS DAY @ LAW

Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment

On October 6, 1991, law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, turning his nomination hearings into a national spectacle. Thomas was approved by a full Senate vote of 52-48 on October 15. Read an excerpted version of Hill's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 11.

Egypt President Anwar Sadat assassinated

On October 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by militants in retaliation for signing a peace treaty with Israel.