Transgendered discrimination ruling [US DC] News
Transgendered discrimination ruling [US DC]

Diane J. Schroer v. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress, US District Court for the District of Columbia, September 20, 2008 [ruling that the civil rights of a former Army Special Forces officer were violated after a job offer to serve as the senior terrorism research analysis at the Library of Congress was rescinded following her disclosure that she was undergoing a gender transformation]. Read the full text of the opinion [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Line of Demarcation divides the New World between Spain and Portugal

On May 4, 1493, Pope Alexander VI promulgated the Line of Demarcation, dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal in response the return of Christopher Columbus from his discovery of the American continents. However, neither country was entirely satisfied with the placement of the Line. A year later on June 7, 1494, the two nations signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which moved the Line of Demarcation further west, giving Portugal claim to Brazil.

Kent State student shootings precipitated lawsuits

On May 4, 1970, National Guardsmen at Kent State University opened fire on students protesting the US invasion of Cambodia, killing four.

Review a legal chronology of the Kent State shootings, from May 5, 1970 (the day the FBI investigation started) to January 4, 1979 (the day the state of Ohio reached an out-of-court settlement for $675,000 with victims and relatives of victims).