Minimum Competence

This Day in Legal History: NASA Created On July 29, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, officially establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This landmark legislation was a response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in 1957, which marked the beginning of the space race. The act represented a significant shift in U.S...

This Day in Legal History: Dutch Low Countries Independence from Spain On July 26, 1581, the Dutch Low Countries signed the Plakkaat van Verlatinghe, also known as the Act of Abjuration, formally declaring their independence from Spanish rule. This monumental document marked the culmination of a prolonged struggle against the oppressive policies of the Spanish Habsburgs, particularly under King Ph...

This Day in Legal History: National Security Act of 1947 On July 25, 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act of 1947, a landmark legislation that restructured the United States' military and intelligence operations in the post-World War II era. This pivotal act established the National Security Council (NSC), which would advise the President on security matters, and created the Central Int...

This Day in Legal History: Scopes Monkey Trial On July 24, 1925, John Scopes, a high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was found guilty of teaching evolution, a violation of the Butler Act. This state law prohibited the teaching of any theory that denied the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible, specifically targeting Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The trial, famously known as t...

This Day in Legal History: Province of Canada Created On July 23, 1840, the British Parliament passed the Act of Union, a pivotal piece of legislation that led to the creation of the Province of Canada. This act merged the colonies of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) and Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) into a single entity. The Act of Union was a response to the political unrest and demands fo...

This Day in Legal History: First African-American Woman Appointed Judge On July 22, 1939, history was made when New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia appointed Jane Matilda Bolin to the city's Domestic Relations Court, making her the first African-American woman to serve as a judge in the United States. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1908, Bolin faced significant racial and gender barriers th...

This Day in Legal History: Pennsylvania First Movie Censorship Laws On July 19, 1911, Pennsylvania enacted the first movie censorship laws in the United States, marking a significant moment in legal and cultural history. These laws empowered a state board to review and censor films, aiming to protect the public from what were considered immoral or indecent content. This move sparked a wave of simi...

This Day in Legal History: Narcotic Control Act Becomes Law On July 18, 1956, the Narcotic Control Act became law, significantly transforming the landscape of narcotics regulation in the United States. The Act was introduced to combat the growing concerns about drug abuse and trafficking. It imposed harsher penalties for violations of existing drug laws, including mandatory minimum sentences and t...

This Day in Legal History: Lincoln Signs the Second Confiscation Act On July 17, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Second Confiscation Act into law, marking a significant legal development during the Civil War. This act allowed for the seizure of property owned by individuals engaged in rebellion against the Union. Unlike previous measures, it did not require due process or provide an opp...

This Day in Legal History: The District of Columbia is Established On July 16, 1790, the District of Columbia was established as the permanent seat of the United States government by the Residence Act. This pivotal legislation, signed by President George Washington, designated a new federal district along the Potomac River, which would be separate from any state and under the direct control of the...

This Day in Legal History: Federal Housing Act Passed On this day in legal history, July 15, 1949, Congress passed the Federal Housing Act, a pivotal piece of legislation that aimed to address the nation’s post-war housing crisis. This Act, also known as the Housing Act of 1949, was a key component of President Harry S. Truman’s Fair Deal program. It marked a significant federal commitment to impr...

This Day in Legal History: 16th Amendment Passed On July 12, 1909, Congress passed the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, marking a significant shift in the country's fiscal policy. This amendment granted Congress the authority to levy income taxes without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the United States Census. Prior to this amendment, the federal government...

This Day in Legal History: Former President Taft Becomes Chief Justice On July 11, 1921, William Howard Taft was sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, making history as the only person to have held both the presidency and the chief justiceship. Taft had previously served as the 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913. His appointment to the Supreme Court was a...

This Day in Legal History: Operation Satanique On July 10, 1985, French intelligence agents bombed the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbor, New Zealand. This covert operation, codenamed "Operation Satanique," aimed to prevent the vessel from protesting French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. The attack resulted in the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and the tragic death of Portugu...

This Day in Legal History: Eight States Ratify Articles of Confederation On July 9, 1778, eight American states—New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina—ratified the Articles of Confederation, marking a significant milestone in the establishment of the United States' first constitution. The Articles of Confederation served as...

This Day in Legal History: Vermont Abolishes Slavery On July 8, 1777, Vermont made history by becoming the first state to abolish slavery through the formal adoption of its new state constitution. This landmark event occurred during the American Revolutionary War, reflecting the evolving values of liberty and human rights among the colonists. Vermont's constitution, drafted in Windsor, boldly decl...

This Day in Legal History: Black Sox Scandal Jury Selection On July 5, 1921, jury selection commenced for one of the most infamous trials in baseball history: the Chicago "Black Sox" trial. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox, including the legendary "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, stood accused of conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The scandal shocked the nation,...

This Day in Legal History: Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words Get to SCOTUS On July 3, 1978, the US Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation , affirming the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) authority to reprimand New York radio station WBAI for airing George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine.  The 5-4 ruling centered on Carlin's sketch, which listed word...

This Day in Legal History: Sherman Antitrust Act On July 2, 1890, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison signed the Sherman Antitrust Act into law, marking a transformative moment in American economic history. This landmark legislation aimed to prohibit the formation of trusts and monopolies that restricted trade across states, fundamentally altering the landscape of American industry. Named after Senat...

This Day in Legal History: First US Income Tax On July 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Tax Act of 1862 into law, marking a pivotal moment in American financial history. This legislation introduced a federal income tax to help fund the Civil War, imposing a 3% tax on incomes over $600 and a 5% tax on incomes above $10,000. Despite the pressing needs of the war, compliance with the act...

This Day in Legal History: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke On June 28, 1978, the US Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision in the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke , shaping the future of affirmative action in university admissions. The case centered around Allan Bakke, a white applicant who was twice denied admission to the University of California, Da...

This Day in Legal History: LaGrand ICJ Case On June 27, 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a landmark ruling in the LaGrand case, Germany v. United States , affirming that foreign nationals must be informed of their right to contact their home country's embassy following an arrest. This case revolved around brothers Karl and Walter LaGrand, German nationals who were arrested in Ar...

This Day in Legal History: Pivotal LGBTQ+ Rights Decisions On this day, June 26th, in legal history, two pivotal Supreme Court decisions significantly advanced the cause of marriage equality in the United States. On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court delivered its decision in United States v. Windsor . In a 5-4 ruling, the Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had...

This Day in Legal History: Engel v. Vitale Decided On June 25, 1962, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision in the case of Engel v. Vitale . The Court ruled that the recitation of a state-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This case arose from a New York State law that required public schools to start the day with a non-de...

This Day in Legal History: Military Selective Service Act On June 24, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Military Selective Service Act, marking a significant moment in U.S. legal and military history. This legislation established a peacetime draft system, requiring all male U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 to register for potential military service. The act was a response to gr...