Army drops charges against officer in Iraqi civilian ‘mercy killing’ case News
Army drops charges against officer in Iraqi civilian ‘mercy killing’ case

[JURIST] The US Army [official website] Monday dropped charges against an officer who was charged with murder [JURIST report] for giving permission to soldiers serving under him to kill two Iraqi civilians, including an Iraqi teenager who was suffering from severe wounds in the aftermath of a US attack and was killed "to put him out of his misery." The murder charges against Second Lt. Erick J. Anderson of Ohio were dropped after an Army investigator presiding over Anderson's Article 32 hearing [JAG backgrounder; UCMJ text], held last month, recommended against a court martial. During Anderson's hearing [JURIST report], one soldier refused to testify because he was not given immunity from prosecution and another soldier changed his story, saying he only implicated Anderson in order to have his own life sentence reduced to 25 years. Prosecutors initially dropped the charges against Anderson in January due to lack of evidence, but new charges were filed in October [JURIST report] after further investigation. A deputy staff judge advocate at Fort Riley [official website] said the case against Anderson is now closed and the investigation is over "unless any new significant and substantially credible information comes to light." AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 signed into law

US President Millard Filmore signed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 on September 18 of that year, obliging law enforcement to arrest escaped slaves in all US states, including those where slavery was not legal. Free black men and women were endangered by the act's passage as they were at risk of being falsely identified as escaped slaves. The act heightened tensions between abolitionists in the North and slaveholders in the South, contributing to what would become the Civil War eleven years later. Learn more about the Fugitive Slave Act from the National Constitution Center.

Jurist Joseph Story born

On September 18, 1797, future US Supreme Court Justice, Harvard law professor, and legal author Joseph Story was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts. West Virginia University law professor James Elkins notes that Story was also a poet; learn more about Story and read a couple of his poems here.

Anti-Corn Law League created in UK

On September 18, 1838, the Anti-Corn Law League was created in the United Kingdom. As the name suggests, the purpose of the association was to press for the abolition of British Corn Laws, which were indeed repealed in 1846. After the repeal, the organization worked to oppose other protectionist measures in the UK. The weekly news publication, The Economist, was founded as part of the anti-corn law movement.

Jurist Joseph Story born

On September 18, 1797, future US Supreme Court Justice, Harvard law professor, and legal author Joseph Story was born at Marblehead, Massachusetts.

West Virginiia University law professor James Elkins notes that Story was also a poet - learn more about Story and read a couple of his poems here.