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The 1297 copy of the Magna Carta is the only one in private ownership A rare copy of the Magna Carta has been sold for £10.6m ($21.3m) in an auction at Sotheby's in New York.The copy dating from 1297, one of only 17 still in existence, was bought by US businessman David Rubenstein. The auction item had been owned by American billionaire Ross Perot's Perot Foundation since 1984 and was on view at the National Archives in Washington. The original Magna Carta was sealed by King John of England in 1215 and enshrined civil rights in English law. 'Temporary...

NEW YORK -- A rare 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta, among the most important historical documents ever to hit the auction block, sold for US$21.3 million Tuesday at Sotheby's. The document was bought by a Washington businessman who said he was determined to see it remain in the United States, where it has been on display at the National Archives and Records Administration since 1988. The last remaining copy in the United States and the last in private hands, the Magna Carta, one of 17 known to exist, was sold by The Perot Foundation, created by billionaire former U.S....

The Magna Carta(The Great Charter)Preamble: John, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, to the archbishop, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, and to all his bailiffs and liege subjects, greetings. Know that, having regard to God and for the salvation of our soul, and those of all our ancestors and heirs, and unto the honor of God and the advancement of his holy Church and for the rectifying of our realm, we have granted as underwritten by advice of our venerable fathers, Stephen,...

A US worker came within seconds of destroying Lincoln's copy of the Magna Carta after nearly spraying it with a chemical cleaner. The 800-year-old document is currently on display in New York, but almost met a sticky end thanks to an overzealous cleaner. Lincoln Cathedral's archive conservation consultant Chris Woods accompanied the document, spending hours making sure the inked sheepskin which contains the charter of freedom, was placed correctly into a £42,000 vacuum-sealed display case to keep it safe from the elements. And it was, until a lock briefly malfunctioned just as a workman tried to give it a last...

With all due respect to that Iron Lady, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a woman I truly admire, human rights did not begin with the Magna Carta as she is quoted in yesterday's commemoration of the anniversary of the document by Robert Morrison. A few thousand years before England's King John signed the Magna Carta against his will and the English were just another group of lawless, warring tribes, the Jews, former slaves who fled Egypt on their way to the Promised Land of Israel, willingly received the Torah at Sinai. Codified and interpreted by generations of rabbis,...

During the despotic eras of Norman and Plantagenet England, the Crown declared one third of the land area of Southern England to be the royal forest, the exclusive preserve of the monarch, his forestry officials and his favored aristocrats. The people of Britain were forbidden access to and enjoyment of these forests under harsh penalties. This exclusionary system became so despised by the people that in 1215, five clauses of the Magna Carta were devoted to redress of grievances that are hauntingly similar to those that are now flooding my office. The Royal Forests House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January...

No freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseised of his free tenement or of his liberties or free customs, or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go against such a man or send against him save by lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell or deny of delay right or justice.

Washington (CNN) -- The only original copy of the Magna Carta in private hands worldwide has a fancy new display case at the National Archives, where the document goes on display next month. "This 700-year-old document looks better than ever," said David Ferriero, the archivist of the United States. He said Thursday that the handwritten, fragile parchment will be unveiled February 17. The owner of the display copy was also at Thursday's preview. David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group investment company, said, "it is my privilege as an American to be able to give this back to the Archives...

Restored, rare document will go on public display later this month. Starting next week, anyone visiting the U.S. National Archives can gaze at the only original Magna Carta in the United States, thanks, in part, to the work of Iowans. Nestled perfectly beneath the 700-year-old legal document is a sheet of pure white cotton paper, specially made by the University of Iowa’s Center for the Book. “Anyone from the state of Iowa can now go to the National Archives rotunda, get in line, wait your turn, and you can literally lean down your face a foot away from [the documents],”...

A peace treaty sealed in Runnymede in 1215, signalling the end of a conflict between King John and barons who were in revolt, has once again got passions running high in Surrey. ...a debate is raging on what to do in the place where the charter -- hailed by some as the foundation of English democracy -- was sealed. Plans to build an £8m visitor centre in Runnymede as a legacy of the anniversary were dropped earlier this year because of lack of funds. Surrey County Council, Runnymede Borough Council and the National Trust have all said they are now...

Henricus Dei gratia rex Anglie, dominus Hibernie, dux Normannie, Aquitanie, et comes Andegavie, archiepiscopis, episcopis, abbatibus, prioribus, comitibus, baronibus, vicecomitibus, prepositis, ministris et omnibus ballivis et fidelibus suis presentem cartam inspecturis, salutem. Sciatis quod nos, intuitu Dei et pro salute anime nostre et animarum antecessorum et successorum nostrorum, ad exaltationem sancte ecclesie et emendationem regni nostri, spontanea et bona voluntate nostra, dedimus et concessimus archiepiscopis, episcopis, abbatibus, prioribus, comitibus, baronibus et omnibus de regno nostro has libertates subscriptas tenendas in regno nostro Anglie in perpetuum. Henry, by the Grace Of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy...

The Power of Habeas Corpus in America From the King’s Prerogative to the War on Terror Anthony Gregory (Author) Hardcover • 436 pages • 6 x 9 inches ISBN-13: 978-1-107-03643-7 Publication Date: 4/18/2013 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Educators: Request a copy for course adoption List Price: $99.00 Price: $59.95 Discount: $39.05 (Save 39%) Misconceptions about habeas corpus—commonly understood as the legal right not to be detained arbitrarily by the government—abound. A bumper sticker slogan critical of George W. Bush’s detention policy reflects a popular myth: “Habeas Corpus, 1215−2006.” Contrary to this view, habeas corpus did not enjoy an unbroken streak...

A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S. The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the...

MEPs on the recently established anti-mafia committee and the European Commission have revived talk of creating an EU public prosecutor's office. French center-right deputy Veronique Mathieu—among others—proposed the initiative at a meeting of the anti-crime body in the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday (4 June). EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmström said it would be a "good idea," but added that it needs wider political backing. A parliament spokesman said that several member states are against it as things stand. The new EU office was first mooted in a comission study 12 years ago. It got a legal footing...

A New York judge ruled yesterday that the government may not lock up American citizens without due process as allowed by the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Bob Van Voris and Patricia Hurtado at Bloomberg report U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest ruled against President Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and the Department of Defense and in favor of a group opposing provision 1021 of the NDAA. The opposition, including former New York Times reporter Christopher Hedges, filed the complaint January 13....A bit of background: Late last year Senate Armed Services Chairman senior member John McCain (R.-Ariz.) and Carl Levin...

Utah had its Sheriff Mack. Maricopa County, Arizona has Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But Colorado Springs, Colorado has Terry Maketa. In November 2011, Sheriff Maketa of El Paso County, Colorado, along with its five County Commissioners struck a blow for freedom and the Constitutional rights of citizens. These six signed a proclamation affirming the right to Habeas Corpus which the National Defense Authorization Bill or Senate Bill 1867 removed when it was signed into law by President Obama. The proclamation which has gone viral, affirms that the local sheriff, who is any county’s top cop, can override actions taken by the...

Less than a month after he threatened to veto terrifying legislation that would cease constitutional rights as we know it, Obama has revoked his warning and plans to authorize a bill allowing indefinite detention and torture of Americans. After passing in the House of Representatives earlier this year, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 went before the US Senate last week, where it was met with overwhelming approval. In the days before, the Obama administration issued a policy statement on November 17 saying explicitly that the president would veto the bill, as it would challenge “the president’s...

FAIRBANKS - An associate of Fairbanks militia-leader Schaeffer Cox will appear in court for the first time today since the FBI took him into custody Tuesday afternoon on a material witness warrant. Michael O. Anderson, 35, does not face any criminal charges, but prosecutors say he is an important witness in the investigation into Cox and needed to be detained because he was allegedly avoiding a subpoena. Anderson spent more than six months in jail this year after he was arrested with Cox and three others and accused in state court of planning to kill Alaska State Troopers and court...

Less than two months ago I was the guest on a radio program out of Fairbanks Alaska called Patriot's Lament (click here to view the video). Two of the hosts were David Giessel and Joshua Bennett. David and I had become good friends ever since we met at the recent Casey summit. Being a young anarcho-capitalist, we had him on Anarchast (click here to view). Living in Alaska, they had been very curious about my libertarian hideaway in southern Mexico (AcaCondos) and David had made plans to visit this December. That was, until, the FBI with 30 strong wearing body...

The new Martial Law Bill which affirms the detention of American citizens indefinitely without due process of law passed the Senate 93-7. Habeas corpus just got knifed in full daylight, left to bleed in the cracks of the Capitol commingling with the blood of patriots who died for this country. The blood drawn like butter by Senate vampires drooling and gurgling with delight, appetites satiated… for now. Their ecstasy whisps through depraved neurons as their spit foams upon the very name of freedom. And while there are hints Obama may veto it, my opinion is that the bill has been...