On January 23, 1937, seventeen of Joseph Stalin’s political enemies went on trial in Moscow during the Soviet leader’s Great Purge. This trial of seventeen represented the second of the three “Moscow Trials” in which prominent Soviet leaders were accused and convicted of conspiring to overthrow the Soviet state under Article 58 of the RSFSR [...]
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On January 22, 1962, the Organization of American States (OAS) suspended Cuba from the group following a communist revolution in the island nation. The OAS voted to reinstate Cuba on June 3, 2009, but the Cuban government rejected the offer almost immediately.
On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court handed down its split decision in Roe v. Wade, liberalizing abortion access until it was later overturned in 2022’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Listen to the oral arguments and read the Justices’ opinions on Oyez.
On January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI of France was executed after being convicted of treason by a revolutionary court. Learn more about the execution of Louis XVI.
On January 21, 1950, former US State Department official Alger Hiss was found guilty of perjury in connection with testimony given to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Learn more about Alger Hiss.
On January 20, 1801, outgoing President John Adams nominated John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the United States. Learn more about the life of John Marshall
On January 20, 1783, Great Britain signed the Declarations for Suspension of Arms and Cessation of Hostilities with France and Spain, ending European hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.
On January 19, 1946, General Douglas MacArthur promulgated the Charter for the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, creating a court in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals after World War II. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Charter, the Court’s Rules of Procedure were set three months later. The judges and prosecutors represented [...]
On January 19, 1970, President Richard Nixon nominated Judge G. Harrold Carswell of the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to the US Supreme Court. The nomination became intensely controversial after a reporter discovered the text of a 1948 political campaign speech by Carswell in which he said “segregation of the races is proper.” The [...]
On January 18, 1782, lawyer and orator Daniel Webster was born in Salisbury, New Hampshire. Learn more about Webster’s life and career.
