On this day in ...... 1973 (35 years ago today), after an inquest jury returned an open verdict, "the Londonderry City coroner, Major Hubert O'Neill," said that British troops who'd opened fire on civil rights marchers on January 30, 1973, were responsible for "'sheer unadulterated murder.'" The shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland (coat of arms at right), on what's known as "Bloody Sunday," left 14 unarmed persons dead.
... 1878 (130 years ago today), in Saratoga Springs, New York, 100 attorneys from 21 states founded the American Bar Association. According to the ABA's website:
The legal profession as we know it today barely existed at that time. Lawyers were generally sole practitioners who trained under a system of apprenticeship. ...
The first ABA constitution ... defined the purpose of the ABA as being for 'the advancement of the science of jurisprudence, the promotion of theadministration of justice and a uniformity of legislation throughout the country....'
Today, the stated mission ... is 'to be the national representative of the legal profession, serving the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law.'
