On March 11, ...
... 2003 (5 years ago today), at The Hague, Netherlands, 7 women and 11 men, representing 18 countries, were sworn in as the 1st judges of the International Criminal Court, a newly established permanent tribunal charged with adjudicating the world's most heinous crimes. (photo credit) A 2d round of elections was held in 2006. Women serving as ICC judges today are: Akua Kuenyehia of Ghana, 1st Vice-President; Elizabeth Odio Benito of Costa Rica; Navanethem Pillay of South Africa; Fatoumata Dembele Diarra of Mali; Anita Ušacka of Latvia; Sylvia Steiner of Brazil; and Ekaterina Trendafilova of Bulgaria. As posted above, the from-the-inception inclusion of women sets the ICC apart from other tribunals, among them the WTO Appellate Body.
... 1708 (300 years ago today), a bill intended to reorganize the Scottish Militia failed as Queen Anne withheld Royal Assent. The act marked the last time that British monarch has vetoed a law passed by Parliament.