Government response on congressional office search [US DOJ] News
Government response on congressional office search [US DOJ]

Government Response to Memorandum of Amicus Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the US House of Representatives on a Motion for Return of Property filed by Rep. William Jefferson, US Department of Justice, June 13, 2006 [arguing that House Councel's articulation of the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution would grant members of Congress a privilege vastly exceeding anything necessary to maintain the separation of powers]. Read the full text of the response [PDF].

THIS DAY @ LAW

Anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko died in police custody

On September 12, 1977, South African anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko died in police custody after having suffered a massive head injury during interrogation following his arrest. The story of journalist Donald Woods' investigation into the circumstances of Biko's death was the basis of the 1987 film Cry Freedom.

Read an address on Stephen Biko delivered by then-South African President Nelson Mandela on the 20th anniversary of Biko's death in 1997.

Supreme Court unanimously rejects state challenge Brown v. Board of Education

On September 12, 1958, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a state government challenge to Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, which had overturned segregation. In Cooper vs. Aaron, the State Government of Arkansas challenged the authority of the Court to implement desegregation. The Court responded by forcefully re-asserting its authority and the authority of the federal government over the states.