American actress Mae West sentenced to 10 days for obsecenity

American actress Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail on April 19, 1927 for her participation in a play she wrote and starred in entitled “Sex.” The play depicts the tribulations and adventures of a prostitute named Margy. The New York Police Department raided a performance, and West was charged with obscenity and behavior designed to corrupt the morals of youth.

Learn more about West’s arrest and sentence from PBS.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.