Justinian I issues Corpus Juris Civilis
On April 7, 529 Byzantine Emperor Justinian I issued the first draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law). The Justinian Code represented a revival of Roman Law and a compilation of laws for the Byzantine Empire. It became the foundation of Canon Law in the Catholic Church and Civil Law in modern Europe. Learn more about the Corpus Juris Civilis.
Supreme Court ruled on possession of obscene materials
On April 7, 1969, the US Supreme Court ruled in Stanley v. Georgia that laws prohibiting private possession of obscene materials were unconstitutional.