The older I get, the more fascinated I am with historical legal events. From time to time, I research what legal landmarks occurred during this week twenty, forty, even a hundred years ago.
The week of August 14 to August 21 reveals a rich history of legal milestones:
AUGUST 21 1878 The American Bar Association was birthed in Saratoga Springs, New York. Today it is a vital organization, acclaimed world-wide as the leading interest group for lawyers.
AUGUST 19 1919 Afghan achieved independence from Great Britain and a designated border separating the country from India. August 19 is celebrated in Afghanistan as Independence Day.
AUGUST 18 1920 Women gained the right to vote when the United States ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The struggle for equality was protracted, to put it mildly, as resolutions to allow women to vote were defeated several time before success was achieved.
AUGUST 18 1949 The Republic of Ireland was created when the law repealing the authority of the King of England was passed.
AUGUST 18 1958 Renowned poet Ezra Pound had charges against him for treason dropped. Pound, an American, was a supporter of Mussolini and Hitler. He recorded radio broadcasts in Italy denouncing the United States and extolling anti-semitism. He was arrested in 1945 and imprisoned in Italy and America, but avoided prosecution on grounds of insanity. Institutionalized in America, he left the country in 1958 when the charges were stayed and died in 1972 in Italy.
AUGUST 19 1971 Charles Manson was convicted of multiple murders, referred to as the Tate/La Bianca murders or helter skelter, and sentenced to death in California. California commuted his sentence to life in prison in 1972 when the death penalty was abolished.
AUGUST 19 1967 The Beatles signed a partnership agreement which provided that the band would continue as a group for ten years. Three years later the band split up and Paul McCartney filed a law suit against John, George, Ringo, and the Beatle’s management group. Paul sought to terminate the partnership, appoint a receiver and obtain an accounting. The orders were granted and the Beatles litigation continued for two decades.
AUGUST 19 1969 Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of assasinating presidential candidate Senator Robert Kennedy in California. Sirhan was sentenced to death but later his sentence was commuted to life in prison when California repealed the death penalty.
AUGUST 20 2009 The Lockerbie Bomber, Abdel Baset Al Megrahi, convicted in 2001 of the murders of passengers on Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, was released from prison in Scotland on compassionate grounds, having served only eight years of his 27 year sentence. Medical doctors opined that he had terminal cancer and only a few months to live. Today, he is still alive and living in luxury in Libya.
AUGUST 20 2010 The Obama administration called for Abdel Baset Al Megrahi to be returned to prison in Scotland. His treacherous act resulted in the death of 259
passengers, mostly Americans, and eleven people on the ground in Scotland. It is said that the US government is pursuing diplomatic discussions with Libya.
Lawdiva aka Georgialee Lang
Lawdiva's Blog 