Portal:Law/Selected anniversaries

Law Portal selected content

This page lists selected anniversaries relevant to WikiProject Law. The entries are listed on the Law Portal in the month of the anniversary.

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January

January 10, 1356 – The first 23 chapters of the Golden Bull of 1356 are created, fixing important aspects of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire.
January 2, 1975 – The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.
January 22, 1973 – Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), decided, finding a constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

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February

February 1, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
February 1, 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case.
February 2, 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act, the first step towards legalizing same-sex marriage in that country.
February 5, 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
February 5, 1963 – The European Court of Justice's ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important decisions in the development of European Union law.
February 10, 1967 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
February 11, 1889 – Meiji Constitution of Japan is adopted; the first National Diet convenes in 1890.
February 12, 1983 – One hundred women successfully protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq's proposed Law of Evidence.
February 27, 1922 – A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.

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March

March 8, 1658 – After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars, the King of Denmark–Norway was forced to give up nearly half his Danish territory to Sweden to save the rest.
March 22, 1765 – The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, requiring that many printed materials in the Thirteen Colonies in British America carry a tax stamp (pictured).
March 21, 1804 – The Napoleonic code, the French civil code established under Napoleon, entered into force, eventually strongly influencing the law of many other countries.

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April

April 3, 2000 – 2000 – United States v. Microsoft Corp.: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust law by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
April 8, 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
April 10, 2009 – President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.
April 17, 1905 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the "right to free contract" is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
April 20, 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends in the UK, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
April 21, 1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
April 23, 1935 – The Polish Constitution of 1935 is adopted.
April 25, 1938 – U.S. Supreme Court delivers its opinion in Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins and overturns a century of federal common law.
April 27, 1994 – South African general election: The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. The Interim Constitution comes into force.

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May

May 3, 1947 – New post-war Constitution of Japan goes into effect.
May 15, 1911 – In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up.
May 16, 1877 – The 16 May 1877 crisis occurs in France, ending with the dissolution of the National Assembly 22 June and affirming the interpretation of the Constitution of 1875 as a parliamentary rather than presidential system.
May 17, 1954 – The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas finding that separate educational facilities for people of different races was inherently unequal.
May 18, 1896 – The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson.
May 30, 1834 – Minister of Justice Joaquim António de Aguiar issues a law seizing "all convents, monasteries, colleges, hospices and any other houses" from the Catholic religious orders in Portugal, earning him the nickname of "The Friar-Killer".
May 31, 1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.

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June

June 5, 1953 – The current Constitution of Denmark was signed following a referendum.
June 15, 1215 – The Magna Carta was agreed to by King John of England, establishing a charter of rights for the people of England.

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July

July 15, 1964 – The European Court of Justice established the supremacy of European Union law in Costa v ENEL.

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August

August 6, 1787 – Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 12, 1765 – Treaty of Allahabad is signed. The Treaty marks the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of Company rule in India.
August 18, 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage.
August 19, 1772 – Gustav III of Sweden stages the Revolution of 1772, in which he assumes power and enacts a new constitution that divides power between the Riksdag and the King.
August 22, 1864 – Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention, establishing the rules of protection of the victims of armed conflicts.
August 29, 1916 – The United States passes the Philippine Autonomy Act.

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September

September 3, 1783 – The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the American Revolution between Great Britain and the United States of America.

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October

October 1, 1931 – Clara Campoamor persuades the Constituent Cortes to enfranchise women in Spain's new constitution.
October 4, 1824 – Mexico adopts a new constitution and becomes a federal republic.
October 13, 1946 – France holds the October 1946 French constitutional referendum, adopting the constitution of the Fourth Republic.
October 18, 1929 – The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overrules the Supreme Court of Canada in Edwards v. Canada when it declares that women are considered "Persons" under Canadian law.
October 19, 1974 – Pursuant to the Niue Constitution Act, Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand.

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November

November 2, 1960 – Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the trial R v Penguin Books Ltd, the Lady Chatterley's Lover case.
November 3, 1789 – The first District Court established by the United States Constitution opens in New York City.
November 13, 1992 – The High Court of Australia rules in Dietrich v The Queen that although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, in most circumstances a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay when an accused is unrepresented.
November 18, 2003 – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules 4–3 in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gives the state legislature 180 days to change the law making Massachusetts the first state in the United States to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.
November 19, 1985 – Pennzoil wins a US$10.53 billion judgment against Texaco, in the largest civil verdict in the history of the United States, stemming from Texaco executing a contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil had entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty.

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December

December 16, 1689 – The Parliament of England passed the Bill of Rights guaranteeing fundamental rights.