Defendant: Anne HutchinsonCrimes Charged: "Traducing the ministers and their ministry" and heresyChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutors: Civil trial: John Winthrop; religious trial: the Reverend John DavenportJudges: Civil trial: John Winthrop and the Magistrates of Massachusetts; religious trial: John Wilson and the ministers of the Church of BostonPlaces: Civil trial: Newtown …
Defendant: Dorothy TalbyeCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: No RecordChief Prosecutor: No RecordJudge: Governor John WinthropPlace: Boston, Massachusetts Bay ColonyDate of Trial: October 4, 1638Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: The Talbye case demonstrated that early American society and its legal system did not fully understand or acknowledge the concept that someone…
Defendant: Judith CatchpoleCrimes Charged: Infanticide and witchcraftChief Defense Lawyer: No RecordChief Prosecutor: No RecordJudges: Michael Brook, William Fuller, Edward Lloyd, John Pott, and Richard PrestonPlace: Patuxent County, MarylandDate: September 22, 1656Verdict: Not Guilty SIGNIFICANCE: While trying to adhere to common law, colonial judicial practices often arose from immediate practic…
Defendant: Mary DyerCrime Charged: QuakerismChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutor: No RecordJudge: Governor John EndecottPlace: Boston, Massachusetts Bay ColonyDates: October 19, 1659; May 31, 1660Verdicts: GuiltySentences: First trial: death by hanging, commuted to banishment from the colony and hanging should she return; second trial: death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Quaker Mary Dyer's…
Defendant: Nicholas MoreCrimes Charged: High crimes and misdemeanorsChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutor: NonePlace: Philadelphia, Colony of PennsylvaniaDate of Indictment: May 15, 1685Verdict: None, although More was relieved of his judicial duties SIGNIFICANCE: Like other early America impeachments, Pennsylvania's methods for impeaching a sitting judge were drawn from English preced…
Defendants: Jacob Leisler, Jacob Milborne, eight other menCrimes Charged: The treasonable act of holding the king's fort by force against the royal governor, such action resulting in several deathsChief Defense Lawyer: NoneCommittee for Preparing the Prosecution: Nicholas Bayard, William Pinhorne, and Stephen Van CortlandtChief Prosecutors: James Emmott, George Farewell, and William Nichols…
Defendants: 200 accused, including: Bridget Bishop, Reverend George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Sarah Good, Elizabeth How, George Jacobs, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, John Procter, Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Reed, Margaret Scott, Samuel Ward well, Sarah Wild, and John Willard.Crimes Charged: WitchcraftChief Examiners: Jonathan Corwin an…
Name of Defendant: John Peter ZengerCrime Charged: Seditious libelChief Defense Lawyers: Andrew Hamilton and John ChambersChief Prosecutor: Richard BradleyJudge: James De LanceyPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: August 1735Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: By accepting truth as a legitimate defense in a libel case brought against a newspaper editor by a public official, the jury laid the foun…
Defendant: John WesleyPlaintiff's Claim: Defamation of CharacterDefense Lawyer: No RecordLawyer for Plaintiff: No RecordJudge: Thomas CaustonPlace: Savannah, GeorgiaDate of Trial: August 27-September 1, 1737Verdict: Indicted on 10 charges, 2 relating to the original charge of defamation and 8 relating to alleged ecclesiastical errorsSentence: Never formally sentenced SIGNIFICANCE: Because t…
Defendants: More than 170 people, including: Caesar and Prince; John and Sarah Hughson, Sarah Hughson (daughter); Margaret Sorubiero, alias Kerry; Quack; Cuffee; and John Ury.Crimes Charged: Entering, theft (Caesar, Prince); receiving stolen goods, conspiracy to commit arson (John and Sarah Hughson, Sorubiero); conspiracy to commit arson (Sarah Hughson, daughter); arson, conspiracy to murder inhab…
Petitioner for the Writ: James Cockle, a deputy customs official of SalemPetitioners against the Writs: Merchants of Salem and Boston, Massachusetts Bay ColonyAttorney for the Customs Officials: Jeremiah GridleyAttorneys for the Merchants: James Otis and Oxenbridge ThacherChief Judge: Thomas HutchinsonPlace: Boston, Massachusetts Bay ColonyDate: February 24, 1761Verdict: Deferred until a legal opi…
Plaintiff: Reverend James MauryDefendants: The collectors of the tax for Louisa County, Colony of VirginiaPlaintiff Claim: 300 Pounds in back payChief Defense Lawyer: Patrick Henry, taking over from John LewisChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Peter LyonsJudge: John HenryPlace: Hanover County, Colony of VirginiaDate of Hearing: December 1, 1763Verdict: Damages awarded, one penny SIGNIFICANCE: The case pr…
Defendants: Captain Thomas Preston; Corporal William Wemms; Privates Hugh White, John Carroll, William Warren, and Matthew Killroy, William McCauley, James Hartegan, and Hugh MontgomeryCrimes Charged: Murder and accessories to murderChief Defense Lawyers: Both trials: John Adams, Josiah Quincy, Jr.; First trial: Robert Auchmuty; Second trial: Sampson Salter BlowersChief Prosecutors (Attorneys for …
Defendant: Sergeant Thomas HickeyCrimes Charged: Mutiny and seditionChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutor: NoneCourt-Martial Board: Colonel Samuel Parsons, presiding officerPlace: Richmond Hill, New YorkDate of Court-Martial: June 26, 1776Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: The case reflected the uncertain, ill-defined state of American governmental affairs, particularly t…
Libelants: John Penhallow and Jacob Treadwell, representing 15 Portsmouth merchants who owned the privateer McClary, and George Wentworth, acting as agent for the ship's crewClaimants: Elisha Doane, owner of the Lusanna, Isaiah Doane (son), and James ShepherdLawyer for the Libelants: Sewall (no other name listed)Lawyers for the Claimants: John Adams, John Lowell, and Oliver WhippleDates of …
Defendant: Daniel BooneCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyer: No recordChief Prosecutor: No recordJudges: A panel of Kentucky Militia officers, the names of whom were not recordedPlace: Fort Logan, KentuckyDate of Trial: 1778 (the exact date is unknown)Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The trial showed the fluid nature not only of the early American frontier, but the difficulty of drawing lin…
Names of Defendants: Bathsheba Ruggles Spooner, William Brooks, James Buchanan, Ezra Ross.Crimes Charged: Murder, accomplice before the fact.Chief Defense Lawyer: Levi LincolnChief Prosecutor: Robert Treat PaineJudges: William Cushing, Jedediah Foster, Nathaniel Peaslee Sargeant, David Sewall, James SullivanPlace: Worcester, MassachusettsDate of Trial: April 24, 1778Verdict: GuiltySentence: Execut…
Defendant: Charles LeeCrimes Charged: Disobedience of orders; misbehavior before the enemy; disrespect to the commander in chiefChief Defense Lawyer: No RecordPresiding Officer: Lord StirlingChief Prosecutor: No RecordCourt: No RecordPlace: Brunswick, New JerseyDate of Trial: July 4-August 12, 1778Verdict: GuiltySentence: Suspension from the army for one year SIGNIFICANCE: The court martial of Geo…
Defendants: Abraham Carlisle, John RobertsCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: George Ross, James Wilson, William Lewis, Elias BoudinotChief Prosecutor: Jonathan Dickinson SergeantJudges: Thomas McKean, William Atlee, and John Evans, justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme CourtPlace: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDate of Trials: Carlisle: September 25, 1778; Roberts: September 30, 1778Verdict: G…
Defendant: Major John AndreCrime Charged: EspionageBoard of Enquiry: 14 generals of George Washington's staff headed by Major General Nathanael Greene.Place: Tappan, New YorkDate of Trial: September 29, 1780Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Major John Andre's trial for espionage sent shock waves through the American colonies by revealing the depth of a treason p…
Case 1: Jennison v. Caldwell, civil suit and appealCase 2: Walker v. Jennison, civil suit and appealCase 3: Commonwealth v. Jennison, criminal indictmentPlaintiffs: Nathaniel Jennison, (1); Quock Walker, (2)Defendants: Nathaniel Jennison, (2, 3); John and Seth Caldwell (2)Charge: Assault and battery (1, 3); deprivation of the benefit of his servant, Walker (2)Chief Prosecutor: Robert Treat Paine (…
Defendant: Paul RevereCrimes Charged: Disobedience of an order; leaving the Penobscot River without orders from his commanding officerChief Defense Lawyer: No recordPresiding Officer: No RecordChief Prosecutor: No RecordCourt: No RecordPlace: Boston, MassachusettsDate of Trial: February 1782Verdict: Acquitted on both counts SIGNIFICANCE: The reputation of Paul Revere as a patriotic hero of the Ame…
Defendants: Richard Randolph, Anne Cary (Nancy) RandolphCrimes Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: John Marshall, Patrick HenryChief Prosecutors: No recordJudge: A Panel of 16 justices; there are no surviving records of their namesPlace: Cumberland County, VirginiaDate of Trial: April 1793Verdict: Acquittal SIGNIFICANCE: When two young members of one of colonial Virginia's oldest aristocr…
Defendants: 24 people, including: James Thompson Callender, Thomas Cooper, William Duane, Anthony Haswell, and Matthew Lyon.Crime Charged: Seditious libelChief Defense Lawyers: Lyon acted for himself, advised by Israel Smith; David Fay and Israel Smith (Haswell); Thomas Cooper and Alexander Dallas, (Duane); Cooper acted for, himself; and William B. Giles, George Hay and Philip Nicholas (Callender)…
Defendant: John FriesCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: Alexander Dallas, James Ewing, and William Lewis; second trial: noneChief Prosecutors: First trial: William Rawle and Samuel Sitgreaves; second trial: Jared Ingersoll and RawleJudges: First trial: James Iredell and Richard Peters; second trial: Samuel Chase and PetersDates of Trials: First trial: April 30-May 9, 1799; s…
Defendant: Levi WeeksCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Brockholst LivingstonChief Prosecutor: Cadwallader D. ColdenJudges: John Lansing, Richard Harrison, Richard VarickPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: March 1800Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The Levi Weeks trial revolved around one of the nation's first "murder mysteries," s…
Plaintiffs: William Marbury, William Harper, Robert R. Hooe, and Dennis RamsayDefendant: Secretary of State James MadisonPlaintiff Claim: That Madison had illegally refused to deliver judicial commissions to their rightful recipientsChief Defense Lawyer: U.S. Attorney General Levi LincolnChief Lawyer for Plaintiffs: Charles LeeJustices: Samuel Chase, William Cushing, John Marshall, Alfred Moore, W…
Defendant: Associate Supreme Court Justice Samuel ChaseCrime Charged: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" within the meaning of Article II, Section 4 of the ConstitutionChief Defense Lawyers: Robert Goodloe Harper, Joseph Hopkinson, and Luther MartinChief Prosecutor: Trial Managers John Randolph and Caesar RodneyJudges: The U.S. Senate, with Vice President Aaron Burr presidingPlace: Washi…
Defendants: Underl Barnes, John Dubois, John Harket, John Hepburn, George Keimer, Peter Pollen, George Pullis, George SnyderCrime Charged: Conspiracy to raise their wagesChief Defense Lawyers: Caesar A. Rodney, Walter FranklinChief Prosecutors: Jared Ingersol, Joseph HopkinsonJudges: John Innskep, Mayor of Philadelphia, ex officio; Moses Levy, recorder, presiding; Andrew Pettit, Abraham Shoemaker,…
Defendants: Dominic Daley, James HalliganCrime: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Francis Blake, Thomas Gould, Edward Upham, Jabez UrhamChief Prosecutors: James Sullivan, John HookerJudges: Theodore Sedgwick, Samuel SewallPlace: Northampton, MassachusettsDate of Trial: April 24, 1806Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: This otherwise obscure trial—rightly or wrongly—lat…
Defendants: William S. Smith, Samuel G. OgdenCrime Charged: Violating the Neutrality Act of 1794Chief Defense Lawyers: Thomas A. Emmet, Cadwallader D. Colden, Josiah Ogden Hoffman, Washington Morton, and Richard Harison (Note: the transcript of the trial, as reproduced by Thomas Lloyd who was the stenographer at the trial, states that the last attorney's surname was Harison, with one …
Defendant: George Wythe SweeneyCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Edmund Randolph and William WirtChief Prosecutor: Philip Norborne NicholasJudges: Joseph Prentes and John Tyler, Sr.Place: Richmond, VirginiaDates of Trial: September 2-8, 1806Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Because the law forbade blacks from testifying in the criminal trial of a white man, George Wythe Sweeney was acqui…
Defendant: Former Vice President Aaron BurrCrime Charged: "Treason" within the meaning of Article Ill, Section 3 of the U.S. ConstitutionChief Defense Lawyers: Benjamin Botts, Luther Martin, Edmund Randolph, and John Wickham.Chief Prosecutors: George Hay, Gordon MacRae, and William WirtJudges: Cyrus Griffin and John MarshallPlace: Richmond, VirginiaDates of Trial: August 3-September …
Defendant: Commodore James BarronCrimes Charged: "Negligently performing the duty assigned him; neglecting, on the probability of an engagement, to clear ship for action; failing to encourage in his own person his inferior officers and men to fight courageously; not doing his utmost to take or destroy the Leopard, which vessel it was his duty to encounter."Defense Lawyer: Robert B. T…
Defendant: William HullCrimes Charged: Treason, cowardice, neglect of duty, unofficer-like conductChief Defense Lawyers: William Hull. (representing himself) assisted by Robert Tillotson, Cadwallader D. ColdenChief Prosecutors: Martin Van Buren, Philip S. ParkerJudges: Henry Dearborn, Joseph Bloomfield, Peter Little, William N. Irvine, James House, William Scott, William Stewart, J. R. Fenwick, Ro…
Defendant: Denmark Vesey et al.Crime Charged: Conspiracy to commit insurrection and murderChief Defense Lawyers: Vesey defended himself with assistance from George Warren CrossChief Prosecutors and Judges: Lionel Kennedy, Thomas Parker, William Drayton, Nathan Heyward, James Legare, James R. Pringle, Robert J. TurnbullPlace: Charleston, South CarolinaDate of Trial: June 23-28, 1822Verdict: GuiltyS…
Defendant: John MannCrime Charged: Assault and batteryChief Defense Lawyer: No recordChief Prosecutor: No recordJudge: Thomas RuffinPlace: North CarolinaDate of Decision: December 1829Verdict: Judgment reversed, and judgment entered for the defendant SIGNIFICANCE: A Southern judge with little sympathy for slavery rendered a powerful and logical pro-slavery opinion, further entrenching Southern sla…
Defendants: John Francis Knapp and Joseph Jenkins KnappCrimes Charged: Accessories to murderChief Defense Lawyers: F.Dexter and W.H. GardinerChief Prosecutor: Daniel WebsterJudges: Marcus Morton, Samuel Putnam, and Samuel S. WildePlace: Salem, MassachusettsDates of Trials: July Term, 1830 for John Francis Knapp; November Term, 1830 for Joseph Jenkins KnappVerdicts: Guilty, both trialsSentences: De…
Plaintiffs: Cherokee Indian NationDefendant: State of GeorgiaPlaintiffs Claim: That under the Supreme Court's power to resolve disputes between states and foreign nations, the Court could forbid Georgia from unlawfully attempting to move the Cherokees from their landsChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Lawyer for Plaintiffs: William WirtJustices: Henry Baldwin, Gabriel Duvalt, William Johnson, …
Defendant: Ephraim AveryCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Jeremiah Mason, Richard Randolf, George Turner, Henry Cranston, Joseph Hathaway, Joseph Blake (Nathaniel Bullock assisted with pretrial matters)Chief Prosecutors: Albert C. Greene, Dutee J. Pearce(William Staples assisted with pretrial matters)Judges: Samuel Eddy, Charles Brayton, Job DurfeePlace: Newport, Rhode IslandDate of Tria…
Name of Respondent: Thomas AvesCause of Action: Writ of habeas corpus for a slave girl, MedCommonwealth Attorneys: Ellis Gray Loring, Rufus Choate, Samuel SewallRespondent's Counsel: Benjamin Robbins Curtis, C. P. CurtisJudge: Lemuel ShawPlace: MassachusettsDate of Decision: 1836Verdict: Med was freed, becoming a ward of the court SIGNIFICANCE: Shaw's opinion in the Aves case establi…
Defendant: Richard Parmelee RobinsonCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Ogden Hoffman, Hugh Maxwell, William PriceChief Prosecutors: Thomas Phoenix, Robert H. MorrisJudge: Ogden EdwardsPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: June 2-7, 1836Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Perhaps the first of the sex-sin-and-mayhem cases that have come to dominate much of the daily news, the Helen Jewett m…
Defendants: Andrew M. Barber, Park Benjamin, Theodore S. Gold, Horace Greeley, Thomas McElrath, Elius Pellet, William Leete Stone, James Watson Webb, Thurlow WeedPlaintiff Claim: LibelChief Defense Lawyers: Joshua Spencer (for Barber) Peter Clark (for Greeley); Willis Hall, R. G. Wheaton, L.S. Chaffield (for Weed); L.J. Walworth and Ambrose Jordan (for Webb); A. B. Conger, William H. Seward (for G…
Defendants: Joseph Cinque and othersCrimes Charged: Murder and piracyChief Defense Lawyers: John Quincy Adams, Roger S. Baldwin, Joshua Leavitt, and Seth StaplesChief Prosecutor: William S. HolabirdJudges: Andrew T. Judson and Smith ThompsonPlace: New Haven, ConnecticutDates of Trial: November 19, 1839-January 13, 1840Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: When the courts refused to convict slaves from…
Defendant: John C. ColtCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Dudley Selden, John Morrill, Robert EmmettChief Prosecutor: James WhitingJudge: William KentPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: January 19-31, 1842Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: The murder trial of John Colt, brother of repeating arms inventor Samuel Colt, began as a missing persons case and culminated …
Defendant: Alexander William HolmesCrime Charged: ManslaughterChief Defense Lawyer: David Paul BrownChief Prosecutor: William M.MeredithJudge: Baldwin (historical records do not indicate his first name)Place: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDates of Trial: April 13-23, 1842Verdict: GuiltySentence: 6 months in prison and a $20 fine SIGNIFICANCE: In the Alexander Holmes trial, the court held that self-pre…
Defendant: Commander Alexander Slidell MackenzieCrimes Charged: 5 criminal offenses, including murder, for having executed 3 seamen suspected of mutinyChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate William H. NorrisJudges: Captains William C. Bolton, John Downes, John Gwinn, Isaac McKeever, Benjamin Page, George C. Read, John D. Sloat, Joseph Smith, George W. Storer, Daniel Turner, and…
Defendant: Thomas Wilson DorrCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: Thomas W. Dorr, representing himself, assisted bySamuel Y. Atwell, George Turner, Walter S. BurgesChief Prosecutors: Joseph W. Blake, Alfred BosworthJudges: Job Durfee, Levi Haile, William R. Staples, and George A. BraytonPlace: Newport, Rhode IslandDate of Trial: April 26-May 7, 1844Verdict: GuiltySentence: Life imprisonmen…
Defendant: Albert J. TirrellCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Rufus ChoateChief Prosecutor: Samuel D. ParkerJudges: Dewey, Hubbard, and Wilde (No record of first names)Place: Boston, MassachusettsDates of Trial: March 26-30, 1846Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Albert Tirrell's trial was the first time in American history that sleepwalking was successfully used as a defense to a m…
Defendant: John Charles FrémontCrime: Mutiny, disobedience, conduct prejudicing good order and military disciplineChief Defense Lawyers: Thomas H. Benton, William Carey JonesChief Prosecutor: John Fitzgerald Lee, Judge AdvocatePresiding Officer: G. M. BrookeCourt: De Russey, T. F. HuntPlace: District of Columbia (Washington Arsenal)Date of Trial: November 2, 1847-January 31, 1848Verdict: Guil…
Plaintiffs: Sarah Roberts, Benjamin F. RobertsDefendant: Boston, MassachusettsPlaintiff's Lawyer: Charles SumnerDefendant's Lawyer: Peleg ChandlerJudge: Lemuel ShawPlace: Boston, MassachusettsDate of Trial: 1848-1849Decision: The court nonsuited the plaintiff, in effect dismissing the case SIGNIFICANCE: The Roberts case established the principle of "separate but equal" …
Plaintiff: Ruthey Ann HansleyDefendant: Samuel G. HansleyPlaintiff's Claim: Seeking divorceChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Robert StrangeChief Defense Lawyer: William Henry Haywood, Jr.Judges: Thomas Ruffin, Frederic Nash, Richmond M. PearsonPlace: Raleigh, North CarolinaDate of Decision: December 1849Verdict: Divorce Denied SIGNIFICANCE: This case showed just how difficult it was for a woman t…
Defendant: Harvard Professor Dr. John WebsterCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Pliny Merrick and Edward D. SohierChief Prosecutors: George Bemis and John H. CliffordJudges: LemuelShaw, Charles A. Dewey, Thomas Metcalf, and Samuel WildePlace: Boston, MassachusettsDates of Trial: March 19—April 1, 1850Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Because Dr. John Webster h…
Defendants: Telokite, Tomahas, Kiamasumkin, Isiaasheluckas, ClokomasCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Kintzing PritchetteChief Prosecutor: Amory HolbrookJudge: Orville C. PrattPlace: Oregon City, Oregon TerritoryDates of Trial: May 21-24, 1850Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: This trial was the foremost attempt by the newly created Oregon Territory to move away from …
Defendant: Castner HanwayCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: John M. Read, Joseph J. Lewis, Theodore Cuyler, Thaddeus Stevens, W. Arthur Jackson (David Paul Brown, an attorney for a defendant who was indicted with Hanway, also sat at the defense table)Chief Prosecutors: For the United States: John W. Ashmead, George L.Ashmead, James R. Ludlow; for the State of Maryland: Robert J. Brent, Z…
Defendants: Don Pedro LujanCrimes Charged: Violation of the Trade and Intercourse Act of 1834, libel and indebtedness to the United StatesChief Defense Lawyers: George A. Smith (chief counsel), Josiah Slayton, William PickettChief Prosecutor: Seth M. BlairJudge: Zerubbabel SnowPlace: Great Salt Lake City, UtahDates of Trials: December 30, 1851-January 1, 1852; January 15-17, 1852Verdict: Guilty SI…
Defendant: Anthony BurnsCrime Charged: Being a fugitive slaveClaimant: Charles SuttleChief Defense Lawyers: Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Charles Mayo EllisClaimant's Lawyer: Seth J. ThomasJudge: Edward Greeley LoringPlace: Boston, MassachusettsDates of Hearing: May 25-June 2, 1854Decision: Anthony Burns was the property of Charles Suttle and was returned to him. SIGNIFICANCE: The Anthony Burns …
Defendant: Charity LambCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: James K. Kelly, Milton ElliotChief Prosecutor: Noah HuberJudge: Cyrus OlneyPlace: Oregon City, Oregon TerritoryDate of Trial: September 11-16, 1854Verdict: Guiltyof second-degree murderSentence: Life imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: Charity Lamb was the Pacific Northwest's first convicted murderess. Her case represents one of the …
Defendant: Celia, a SlaveCharge: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Isaac M. Boulware, John Jameson, and Nathan Chapman KounsChief Prosecutor: Robert PrewittJudge: William HallPlace: Calloway County, MissouriDates of Trial: October 9-10, 1855Verdict: GuiltySentence: Hanging SIGNIFICANCE: This case graphically illustrates that enslaved women had no legal recourse when raped by their masters. Although the…
Appellant: Dred ScottDefendant: John F.A. SanfordPlaintiff Claim: That Scott, who was a slave, had become a free man whenhis owner had taken him to a state designated as "free" under the 1820 Missouri CompromiseChief Defense Lawyers: Hugh A. Garland, H.S.Geyer, George W. Goode, Reverdy Johnson, and Lyman D NorrisChief Lawyers for Appellant Samuel M. Bay, Montgomery Blair, George Tick…
Defendant: Emma Augusta CunninghamCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Henry L. ClintonChief Prosecutor: A. Oakley HallJudge: Recorder Smith (historical records do not indicate first name)Place: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: May 6-May 9, 1857Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Emma Augusta Cunningham was acquitted of Dr. Harvey Burdell's murder, and nearly succeeded in her attempt t…
Defendant: William ArmstrongCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Abraham LincolnChief Prosecutors: Hugh Fullerton and J. Henry ShawJudge: James HarriotPlace: Beardstown, IllinoisDate of Trial: May 8, 1858Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: William Armstrong's trial is considered to be Lincoln's most famous case. By introducing an almanac into evidence, Lincoln proved that the wit…
Defendant: Daniel SicklesCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: James T. Brady, John Graham, and Edwin M.StantonChief Prosecutor: Robert OuldJudge: Crawford (First nameunavailable)Place: Washington, D.C.Dates of Trial: April 4-26, 1859Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The first use of a plea of temporary insanity by a criminal defendant and the unabashed appeal to the "unwritten law&#x…
Defendant: John BrownCrime Charged: Insurrection and murderChief Defense Lawyers: Lawson Botts, Thomas C. Green, Samuel Chilton, and Hiram Griswold Chief Prosecutor Andrew Hunter Judge: Richard Parker Place: Charles Town, VirginiaDates of Trial: October 27-November 2, 1859Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Tried for leading a famous but unsuccessful raid on the federal arsenal…
Defendants: 393 Dakota Sioux Indians and people of mixed racial backgroundCrimes Charged: Murder and "other outrages" against citizens of the United StatesChief Defense Lawyer: NoneChief Prosecutor: NoneJudges: Military Commission Officers Lieutenant Rollin Olin (judge advocate), Colonel William Crooks, Colonel William Marshall, Captain Hiram Grant, Captain Hiram Bailey, and Major Ge…
Defendant: Fitz-John PorterCrimes Charged: Disobedience of orders in violation of the Ninth Article of War; misbehavior before the enemy by shamefully retreating, in violation of the Fifty-second Article of WarPresiding Officer: D. HunterCourt: E. A. Hitchcock; Rufus King; M.Prentiss; James B.Ricketts; Silas Casey; James A. Garfield; N. B. Buford;J. P. Slough.Chief Prosecutor: J. Holt, Judge-Advoc…
Defendant: Clement L. VallandighamCrime Charged: Publicly opposing the federal government's prosecution of the war while supporting the enemies of the UnionChief Defense Lawyers Edward A. Ferguson, George H. Pendleton, George E. PughChief Prosecutor: James M. Cutts, Judge AdvocateSenior Presiding Officer: Robert B. PotterCourt: J.F. DeCourcy, E. R. Goodrich, J. L. Van Buren, J. M. Brown, A.…
Plaintiff: Reverend Theophilus Packard, Jr.Defendant: Elizabeth Parsons Ware PackardPlaintiff Claim: That his wife was insane and that he was therefore entitled to confine her at homeChief Defense Lawyers: Stephen Moore and John W. OrrChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: No recordJudge: Charles R. StarrPlace: Kankakee, IllinoisDates of Trial: January 13-18, 1864Verdict: Elizabeth Packard declared sane and …
Defendant: Dr. Samuel A. MuddCrimes Charged: Treason and conspiracyChief Defense Lawyer: General Thomas EwingChief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate Joseph HoltJudges: Military commission officers Lieutenant Colonel David Clendenim, Brevet Brigadier General James Ekin, Brigadier General Robert Foster, Brigadier General T. M. Harris, Major General David Hunter, Brigadier General Alvin Howe, Brevet Major G…
Defendant: Captain Henry WirzCrimes Charged: 13 counts of murder, assault, battery, torture and other offenses against Union prisonersChief Defense Lawyer: Louis SchadeChief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate Colonel N. P. ChipmanJudges: Military Commission officers Brevet Colonel T. Allcock, Brevet Brigadier General John F. Ballior, Brigadier General A. S. Bragg, Brigadier General Francis Fessenden, Brev…
Defendant: George Armstrong CusterCrimes Charged: Absence without leave from his command; conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline. In addition to three formal charges, there were eight detailed specifications.Defense Lawyer: Charles C. ParsonsProsecutor: Captain Robert Chandler, Judge AdvocatePresiding Officer: William HoffmanCourt: Benjamin Grierson, Pitcain Morrison, Michael Mo…
Defendant: President Andrew JohnsonCrime Charged: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" within the meaning of Article II, Section 4 of the ConstitutionChief Defense Lawyers: William Maxwell Evarts and Benjamin R. CurtisChief Prosecutors: Seven "trial managers" from the House of RepresentativesJudges: U.S. Senate, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presidingPlace: Washington, D…
Defendant: Hester VaughanCrime Charged: First-degree murderChief Defense Lawyer: Guforth (No first name listed.)Chief Prosecutor: No record.Judge: Ludlow (No first name listed)Place: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDates of Trial: June 10—July 2, 1868Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: When the teenaged Hester Vaughan allegedly murdered her newborn infant, she was prosecuted by a male di…
Defendant: William H. McCardleCrimes Charged: Inciting insurrection and impeding post-Civil Was ReconstructionChief Defense Lawyers: Jeremiah S. Black, David Dudley Field, Charles O'Conor, W. L. Sharkey, and Robert J. WalkerChief Prosecutors: Mathew H. Carpenter and Lyman TrumbullJustices: Salmon P. Chase, Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Robert Cooper Grier, Stephen, J. Field, Samuel F. Mille…
Defendant: Daniel McFarlandCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Elbridge T. Gerry, John Graham, Charles SpencerChief Prosecutors: Noah Davis, Samuel Garvin Judge: (No record of first name) Hackett Place: New York, New York Date of Trial: April 4-May 10, 1870 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: This trial underscores several points that seem just as relevant today as they were more than 13 dec…
Defendants: Robert Hayes Mitchell, John W. Mitchell, Thomas B. Whitesides, John S. Millar (Miller), Edward T. AveryCrimes Charged: Conspiracy to prevent blacks from voting; conspiracy to oppress, threaten, and intimidate blacks who had exercised their right to vote in 1870Chief Defense Lawyers: Reverdy Johnson, Henry Stanbery, James F. Hart, C. D. Melton, W. B. Wilson and F. W. McMasterChief Prose…
Defendant: William Marcy TweedCrimes Charged: 55 criminal offenses relating to embezzlement of public fundsChief Defense Lawyers: David Dudley Field, John Graham, and Elihu RootChief Prosecutors: Wheeler H. Peckham, Benjamin K. Phelps, and Lyman TremainJudge: Noah DavisPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trials: January 7-November 19, 1873Verdict: GuiltySentence: 1 year in prison and a $250 fine SIG…
Defendant: Susan B. AnthonyCrime Charged: Unlawful VotingChief Defense Lawyers: Henry R. Selden and John Van VoorhisChief Prosecutor: Richard CrowleyJudge: Ward HuntPlace: Canandaigua, New YorkDates of Trial: June 17-18, 1873Verdict: Guilty SIGNIFICANCE: This was one of the first in a series of decisions—including two rendered by the Supreme Court—which found that Section 1 of the Fo…
Plaintiff: Theodore TiltonDefendant: Henry Ward BeecherPlaintiff Claim: That Beecher had committed adultery with Tilton's wifeChief Defense Lawyers: William M. Evarts, John L. Hill, John K. Porter, Thomas G. Shearman, and Benjamin F. TracyChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: W. Fullerton, Samuel D. Morris, and Roger A. Pryor Judge: Neilson (historical records do not indicate first name)Place: Brook…
Defendants: William J. Cruikshank and others Crimes Charged: 16 violations of federal law relating to the defendants' involvement in lynching two black men, including violating the victims' "right and privilege peaceably to assemble together." Chief Defense Lawyers: E. John Ellis, David Dudley Field, Reverdy Johnson, R.H. Marr, Philip Phillips, and W.R. WhitakerChief Pr…
Defendant: Mary Todd LincolnPetitioner: Robert Todd LincolnRelief Sought: Declaration that Mary Todd Lincoln was insane and the appointment of a conservator to handle her estateChief Defense Lawyers: Isaac Newton ArnoldChief Attorney for Petitioner: Benjamin F. Ayers; Leonard T. Swett handled all of the pretrial preparationJudge: Marion R. M. WallacePlace: Chicago, IllinoisDate of Trial: May 19, 1…
Defendant: John ("Jack") McCallCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First Trial: "Judge" Miller; Second Trial: Oliver Shannon and William Henry Harrison BeadleChief Prosecutors: First Trial:"Colonel" George May; Second Trial: William PoundJudges: First Trial:William L. Kuykendall; Second Trial: Peter C. ShannonPlace: First Trial:Deadwood, Dakota Ter…
Plaintiff: Eugenie Martinez Defendant: Juan Del Valle Plaintiff Claim: That Del Valle broke his promise to marry the plaintiff Chief Defense Lawyer: Joseph H. ChoateChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: William H. BeachJudge: Donohue (historical records do not indicate first name)Place: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: 1877 January TermDecision: Jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff for damages of $50 SIGN…
Defendant: Andrew GeddesCrimes Charged: Libel, seduction, attempted abductionChief Defense Lawyer: George W. PaschalChief Prosecutor: John ClousJudges: Officers from the army's Texas DivisionPlace: San Antonio, TexasDate of Trial: June 14-August 21, 1879Verdict: Guilty of all charges except abductionSentence: Three years in prison and dishonorable discharge; Geddes conviction was overturned…
Defendant: George ReynoldsCrime Charged: BigamyChief Defense Lawyers: George W. Biddle and Ben SheeksChief Prosecutor: William Carey Judge: Alexander WhitePlace: Salt Lake City, UtahDates of Trial: October 30-December 10, 1875Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Two years imprisonment and a$500 fine SIGNIFICANCE: The Mormons, who settled Utah, permitted members of their religion to practice polygamy. In Reyn…
Defendants: Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, John "Doc" HollidayCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Thomas FitchChief Prosecutor: Lyttleton PriceJudge: Wells Spicer Place: Tombstone, ArizonaDate of Trial: October 31-November 29, 1881Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The month-long trial—actually a preliminary hearing—made possible an American legend. Nearly …
Defendant: Henry FlipperCrimes: Embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officerChief Defense Lawyer: Merritt BarberChief Prosecutor: John W. Clous, Judge AdvocatePresiding Officer: G. PennypackerCourt: J. F. Wade, G. W. Schofield, W. E. Waters, William Fletcher, W. N. Tisdall, R.G. Heiner, E.S. Ewing, W.V. RichardsPlace: Fort Davis, TexasDate of Trial: September 15; November 1-December 13, 1881Verd…
Defendant: Charles J. GuiteauCrime Charged: Assassinating President James A. GarfieldChief Defense Lawyers: Leigh Robinson and George ScovilleChief Prosecutors: George Corkhill, Walter Davidge, John K. Porter, Elihu Root, and E.B. SmithJudge: Walter CoxPlace: Washington, D.C.Dates of Trial: November 14, 1881-January 13, 1882Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Charles Guiteau&#x…
Defendants: Blanche Douglass, James Malley Jr., Walter Mal leyCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Samuel F. Jones, Levi N. Blydenburgh, William C. Case, Timothy J. Fox (both Malleys); Louis C. Cassidy (James Malley); Edwin C. Dow, William B. Stoddard (Douglass)Chief Prosecutors: Tilton E. Doolittle, Charles BushJudge: Miles T. GrangerPlace: New Haven, ConnecticutDate of Trial: April 25-Jun…
Sharon v. Hill (Federal Court Appeal) Plaintiff: William Sharon (later substituted by Frederick Sharon)Defendant: Sarah Althea HillPlaintiff Claim: To cancel and annul the marriage contract between William Sharon and Sarah Althea Hill and to declare the contract a forgeryChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: William M. Stewart, Oliver P. EvansChief Lawyers for Defendant: George W. Tyler, W. B. Tyler, David…
Appellant: Yick WoDefendant: Sheriff Peter Hopkins, San Francisco, CaliforniaAppellant Claim: That San Francisco was enforcing an ordinance in an unlawfully discriminatory manner against the defendant and other Chinese personsChief Defense Lawyers: Alfred Clarke and H. G. SieberstChief Lawyers for Appellant: Hall McAllister, D.L. Smoot, and L.H. Van SchaickJustices: Samuel Blatchford, Joseph P. Br…
Defendants: George Engel, Samuel Fielden, Adolph Fischer, Louis Lingg, Oscar Neebe, Albert Parsons, Michael Schwab, and August SpiesCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: William P. Black, William A. Foster, Moses Salomon, and Sigismund ZeislerChief Prosecutor: Julius S. GrinnellJudge: Joseph E. GaryPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDates of Trial: June 21-August 20, 1886Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death …
Plaintiff: Andrew VosburgDefendant: George PutneyPlaintiff Claim: That defendant kicked plaintiff and otherwise ill-treated him, thereby making plaintiff ill, causing great pain and mental anguish, and leaving him permanently crippledChief Defense Lawyers: Milton Griswold, Theron HaightChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Ernst Merton, Timothy Edward RyanJudge: Andrew Scott SloanPlace: Waukesha, Wisconsin…
Defendants: Mary Amanda Dixon Jones, Charles Dixon JonesCrimes Charged: Manslaughter, medical malpracticeChief Defense Lawyer: Richard S. NewcombeChief Prosecutor: James A. RidgwayJudge: Willard BartlettPlace: Brooklyn, New YorkDate of Trial: February 17, 1890-February 23, 1890Verdict: Mary Amanda Dixon Jones: not guilty; Charles Dixon Jones: directed acquittalLibel case Jones v. Brooklyn Eagle, F…
Defendants: Antonio Bagnetto, James Caruso, John Caruso, Loretto Comitz, Rocco Geraci, Bastian Incardona, Joseph P. Macheca, Antonio Marchesi, Gasperi Marchesi, Charles Matranga, Pietro Monasterio, Pietro Natali, Charles Patorno, Charles Pietzo, Emmanuelle Polizzi, Frank Romero, Antonio Scaffidi, Salvatore Sunzeri, and Charles TrainaCrimes Charged: Shooting with intent to murder, lying in wait to …
Defendant: Charles Euston KincaidCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Charles H. Grosvenor, C. Maurice Smith, Jeremiah M. Wilson. Daniel W. Voorhees assisted with pretrial mattersChief Prosecutors: Charles C. Cole, Howard C. ClagettJudge: Andrew C. Bradley. Judges Edward F. Bingham, Alexander B. Hagner, and Martin V. Montgomery presided over various pretrial hearingsPlace: Washington, D.C.D…
Defendant: Robert BuchananCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Charles W. Brooks, William J. O'SullivanChief Prosecutors: De Lance Nicoll, James Osborne, Francis WelimanJudge: E. C. SmythPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: March 20—April 26, 1893Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: This was one of the earliest trials to be fought almost exclusively on forensic scie…
Defendant Lizzie BordenCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Andrew Jennings and George D. RobinsonChief Prosecutors: Hosea Knowlton and William H. MoodyJudges: Caleb Blodget, Justin Dewey, and Albert MasonPlace: Fall River, MassachusettsDates of Trial: June 5-20, 1893Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: On the basis of circumstantial evidence, prosecutors accused Lizzie Borden of murdering her…
Plaintiff: Madeline V. PollardDefendant: William Campbell Preston BreckinridgePlaintiff Claim: Breach of promiseChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Jeremiah M. Wilson, Calderon Carlisle, William G. Johnson. E. P. Farrell assisted with pretrial mattersChief Defense Lawyers: Benjamin Butterworth, Philip B. Thompson, Jr., W. A. McKenny, John H. Stoll, John T. Shelby, William G. Mattingly. Enoch Totten, Desh…
Defendant: Eugene V. DebsCrimes Charged: Contempt of court and conspiracyChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, S. Gregory, and Lyman TrumbullChief Prosecutors: John C. Black, T. M. Milchrist, and Edwin WalkerJudges: Peter Grosscup and William A. WoodsPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDates of Trial: January 26-February 12, 1895Verdict: Guilty of contempt, no verdict on conspiracySentence: 6 Months impriso…
Defendant: William Henry Theodore DurrantCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Eugene N. Deuprey and John H. DickinsonChief Prosecutors: W.H. Anderson, William S. Barnes, W.F. Fitzgerald, and Edgar D. PeixottoJudge: D.J. MurphyPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: April 15-November 1, 1895Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: "Theo" Durrant was tried…
Defendant: Maria BarbellaCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: Amos Evans, Henry Sedgewick; Second trial: Frederick B. House, Emanuel FriendChief Prosecutors: John F. McIntyre, Alfred LauterbachJudges: First trial: John W. Goff; Second trial: H.A. GildersleevePlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trials: First trial: July 11-15, 1895; Second trial: November 17-December 10, 1896Verdi…
Appellant: Homer A. PlessyRespondent: New Orleans Criminal District Court Judge J.H. FergusonAppellant's Claim: That Louisiana's law requiring blacks to ride in separate railroad cars violated Plessy's right to equal protection under the lawChief Defense Lawyer: M.J. CunninghamChief Lawyers for Appellant: F.D. McKenney and S.F. PhillipsJustices: Supreme Court Justices David J.…
Defendant: Roland Burnham MolineuxCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: George Gordon Battle and Bartow Weeks; Second trial: Frank C. Black Chief Prosecutor: James W. Osborne, both trialsJudge: First trial: John Goff; Second trial: John LambertPlace:New York, New YorkDates of Trials: First trial: November 14, 1899-February 11, 1900; Second trial: October 1902Verdicts: First tria…
Defendant: Leon F. CzolgoszCrime Charged: Assassinating President William McKinleyChief Defense Lawyers: Loran L. Lewis and Robert C. TitusChief Prosecutor: Thomas PennyJudge: Truman C. WhitePlace: Buffalo, New YorkDates of Trial: September 23-24, 1901Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: Leon Czolgosz, an avowed anarchist, was tried and sentenced to death for his sensation…
Appellant: Gregorio CortezCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: R.B. Abernathy, with Samuel Belden Jr. (1902) and J.R. Wooten (1904)Chief Prosecutors: J.V. Vandenburg, Robert A. John (1902); Howard Martin, S.L. Green, S.H. Hopkins (1904)Judges: W.L. Davidson, John N. Henderson, M.M. BrooksPlace: Austin, TexasDates of Decisions: January 15, 1902; June 24, 1902; June 15, 1904Verdicts: In favor…
Defendant: Albert T. PatrickCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Albert T. PatrickChief Prosecutor: William Travers JeromeJudge: John William GoffPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: January 22-March 26, 1902Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution, later commuted to life imprisonment, and ultimately pardoned by the governor of New York SIGNIFICANCE: The Albert Patrick trial illus…
Defendant: William Van SchaickCrime Charged: Criminal negligence and misconductChief Defense Lawyers: Terence J. McManus and William M.K. OlcottChief Prosecutors: Ernest E. Baldwin and Henry I. BurnettJudge: Edward B. ThomasPlace: New York, New York Dates of Trial: January 10-27, 1906Verdict: GuiltySentence: 10 years in prison pardoned after serving 4 years SIGNIFICANCE: Captain Van William Schaic…
Defendant: Chester Ellsworth GilletteCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Albert M. Mills and Charles D. ThomasChief Prosecutor: George W. WardJudge: Irving R. DevendorfPlace: Herkimer, New YorkDates of Trial: November 12-December 4, 1906Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: The sordid murder of a secretary by her social-climbing boss received its share of press atte…
Defendants: Abraham Ruef and Eugene E. SchmitzCrimes Charged: Bribery and extortionChief Defense Lawyer: Henry AchChief Prosecutors: Francis J. Heney, Hiram Johnson, and William LangdonJudges: Frank Dunne, Maurice T. Dooling, and William P. LawlorPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trials: 1906-08Verdicts: Ruef: Mistrial, mistrial, guilty; Schmitz: Guilty (later reversed on appeal)SIGNIFICANC…
Defendant: Harry Kendall ThawCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: Delphin M. Delmas, John B. Gleason, Clifford Hartridge, Hugh McPike, and George Peabody; Second trial: Martin W. Littleton, Daniel O'Reilly, and Russell PeabodyChief Prosecutor: William Travers JeromeJudge: First trial: James Fitzgerald; Second trial: Victor J. DowlingPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Tria…
Defendants: Joseph F. Shipp, Matthew Galloway, Jeremiah Gibson, Nick Nolan, William Mayes, Henry Padgett, Alf Handman, Bart Justice, Luther WilliamsCrime Charged: Criminal contempt of courtChief Defense Lawyer: Judson HarmonChief Prosecutors: Terry Sanford, Charles BonaparteJudges: Melville W. Fuller, John Marshall Harlan, David J. Brewer, Edward D. White, Rufus W. Peckham, Jeseph McKenna, Oliver …
Defendant: William Dudley HaywoodCrime Charged: Conspiracy to commit murderChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, Fred Miller, John Nugent, Edmund Richardson, and Edgar WilsonChief Prosecutors: William E. Borah, James H. Hawley, Charles Koelsche, and Owen M. Van DuynJudge: Fremont WoodPlace: Boise, IdahoDates of Trial: May 9-July 28, 1907Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The government used the c…
Defendant: Anne Maddison BradleyCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Orlando W. Powers, George P. Hoover, Robert W. WellsChief Prosecutors: Daniel W. Baker, Charles H. TurnerJudge: Wendell Philips StaffordPlace: Washington, D.C.Date of Trial: November 13-December 3, 1907Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Was Anne Bradley insane when she shot former U.S. senator Arthur Brown, or did she shoot…
Defendant: Dr. Bennett Clarke HydeCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: R.R. Brewster, M. Cleary, and Frank WalshChief Prosecutors: M. Atkinson, Virgil Conkling, Elliott W. Major, and James A. ReedJudge: Ralph S. LatshawPlace: Kansas City, MissouriDates of Trial: April 16-May 16, 1910Verdict: None. There were three attempts at retrial after a conviction in the first trial was overturned, but…
Defendants: James B. McNamara and John J. McNamaraCrimes Charged: Murder, for James; dynamiting the Llewellyn Iron Works, for JohnChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, LeCompte Davis, Job Harriman, Cyrus McNutt, and Joseph ScottChief Prosecutors: W. Joseph Ford and John D. FredericksJudge: Walter BordwellPlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDate of Trial: December 1, 1911Verdict: GuiltySentences: Life …
Defendants: Triangle Shirtwaist Company partners Max Blanck and Isaac HarrisCrime Charged: ManslaughterChief Defense Lawyer: Max D. SteuerChief Prosecutors: Charles S. Bostwick and J. Robert RubinJudge: Thomas C.T. CrainPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: December 4-27, 1911Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Despite Max Blanck's and Isaac Harris' acquittal, the death of 146 young…
Defendant: Floyd AllenCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: J.C. BuxtonChief Prosecutors: J.C. Wysor and W.S. PoageJudge: Walter StaplesPlace: Wytheville, VirginiaDates of Trial: April 30-May 18, 1912Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: The Floyd Allen affair represents one of the rare incidents in American history when a criminal defendant attempted to avoid justice …
Defendant: Charles BeckerCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: John F. Mcintyre, Lloyd B. Stryker, and George W. Whiteside; Second trial: W. Bourke Cockran, John Johnstone, and Martin MantonChief Prosecutors: First trial: Frank Moss and Charles S. Whitman; Second trial: Charles S. WhitmanJudges: First trial: John W. Goff; Second trial: Samuel SeaburyPlace: New York, New YorkDate…
Defendants: Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, W.H. Adkins (alias Bunk Adkins), Charles Batley, Tip Belcher, C.H. Boswell, Clyde E. Bowe, William Brandridge, John W. Brown, Leonard Clark, H.V. Craise, Ernest Creigo, Harrison Ellis, Grady Everett, Charles Gillispie, Ed. Gray, Boyd Holley (alias Boyd Adkins), W.H.H. Huffman, Frazier Jarrett, John Jones, Charles Kenney, Sanford Kirk, Charles L…
Defendant: Leo Max Frank Crime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Reuben Arnold, Herbert Haas, Stiles Hopkins, and Luther Z. RosserChief Prosecutors: Hugh Dorsey, Frank Arthur Hooper, and Edward A. StephensJudge: Leonard Strickland RoanPlace: Atlanta, GeorgiaDates of Trial: July 28-September 26, 1913Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging, commuted by Georgia Governor John Slaton to life impr…
Defendant: Hans SchmidtCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: W. M. K. Olcott, Alphonse G. Koelble, Terence J. McManusChief Prosecutors: James A. Delehanty, Deacon MurphyJudge: First trial: Warren W. Foster; Second trial: Vernon M. DavisPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trials: First trial: December 7-30, 1913; Second trial: January 19-February 5, 1914Verdict: First trial: jury deadlocked; Se…
Defendant: Joe HillCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Soren X. Christensen, Orrin N. Hilton, E.D. McDougall, and F.B. ScottChief Prosecutor: E.O. LeatherwoodJudge: Morris L. RitchiePlace: Salt Lake City, UtahDates of Trial: June 17-28, 1914Verdict: GuiltySentence: Execution by firing squad SIGNIFICANCE: The trial of Joe Hill launched the legend of Joe Hill, a lyrical spokesman for the Ind…
Defendant: Thomas J. MooneyCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: W. Bourke Cockran and Maxwell McNuttChief Prosecutors: Edward A. Cunha and Charles FickertJudge: Franklin A. GriffinPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: January 3-February 9, 1917Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by hanging, later commuted, then pardoned SIGNIFICANCE: Tom Mooney's case demonstrated how America&#x…
Defendants: Gertrude Crocker, Gladys Greiner, Alice Paul, and Dr. Caroline SpencerCrime Charged: Obstructing a sidewalkChief Defense Lawyer: Dudley Field MaloneChief Prosecutor: Hart (first name unavailable)Judge: Alexander MullowneyDate: October 22, 1917Verdicts: GuiltySentences: Alice Paul and Caroline Spencer: 7 months in prison; Gertrude Crocker and Gladys Grenier: $5.00 fine or 30 days in pri…
Appellant & Defendant: Charles T. SchenckAppellee & Plaintiff: The United States of AmericaAppellant Claim: Not guilty, as convicted, of conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of 1917Chief Defense Lawyer: John Lord O'BrianChief Lawyers for Appellant: Henry J. Gibbons and Henry John NelsonJustices: Louis D. Brandeis, John H. Clarke, William R. Day, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charl…
Defendant: Benjamin GitlowCrime Charged: Criminal AnarchyChief Defense Lawyers: Trial Court: Clarence Darrow; U.S. Supreme Court: Walter H. Pollak, Walter NellesChief Prosecutors: Trial Court: Alexander I. Rorke; U.S. Supreme Court: John Caldwell Meyers, W. J. Wetherbee, Claude T. DawesJudges: Trial Court: Bartow S. Weeks; U.S. Supreme Court: Chief Justice William Howard Taft, Willis Van Devanter,…
Defendants: John S. Williams and Clyde ManningCrime Charged: MurderDefense Attorneys: Williams: Greene F. Johnson, W. H. Key, and C. C. King; Manning: E. Marvin Underwood, A. D. MeadowsProsecuting Attorneys: A. M. Brand, William M. Howard, Graham WrightJudge: John B. HutchesonPlace: Covington, GeorgiaDates of Trials: April 5-9, 1921 (Williams); May 30-1, 1921 (Manning)Verdicts: Williams: guilty; M…
Defendants: Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo VanzettiCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: William J. Callahan, Herbert B. Ehrmann, James M. Graham, Arthur Dehon Hill, Jeremiah J. McAnarney, Thomas F. McAnarney, Fred H. Moore, Michael Angelo Musmanno, William G. Thompson, and John P. VaheyChief Prosecutors: Frederick Gunn Katzmann, Donald P. Ramsey, and Harold P. WilliamsJudge: Webster ThayerPlac…
Defendants: Edward Victor "Eddie" Cicotte, Oscar Emil "Happy" Felsch, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Joseph Jefferson Wofford, "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, Frederick William "Fred" McMullin, Charles August "Swede" Risberg, George Daniel "Buck" Weaver, Claude Preston "Lefty" Williams, David Zelser, an…
Defendant: Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" ArbuckleCrime Charged: ManslaughterChief Defense Lawyer: Gavin McNabChief Prosecutor: Matthew BradyJudge: Harold LouderbackPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trials: November 14-December 4, 1921; January 11-February 3, 1922; March 13—April 12, 1922Verdicts: First and second trials: Jury deadlocked; Third trial: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: …
Appellants: Frank Moore and 11 othersDefendant: E.H. DempseyAppellants Claim: That a petition for writ of habeas corpus was wrongfully dismissedChief Defense Lawyers: Elbert GodwinChief Lawyer for Appellant: U.S. Bratton, Scipio A. Jones, and Moorefield StoreyJustices: Louis D. Brandeis, Pierce Butler, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Joseph McKenna, James C. McReynolds, Edward T. Sanford, George Sutherland…
Defendants: Elie Garcia, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Orlando Thompson, and George TobiasCrime Charged: Using the U.S. mail to defraudChief Defense Lawyers: Armin Kohn, William C. Mathews, Cornelius W. McDougald, and Vernal Williams (Garvey also represented himself)Chief Prosecutor: Maxwell S. MattuckJudge: Julian W. MackPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: May 18-June 19, 1923Verdicts: Guilty (Garve…
Defendants: Nathan F. Leopold, Jr., and Richard LoebCrimes Charged: Murder and kidnappingChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, Benjamin Bachrach, and Walter BachrachChief Prosecutors: Robert E. Crowe, Thomas Marshall, Joseph P. Savage, John Sbarbaro, and Milton SmithJudge: John R. CaverlyPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDates of Trial: July 23-September 10, 1924Verdict: GuiltySentences: Life imprisonment…
Name of Defendant: John Thomas ScopesCrime Charged: Teaching evolutionChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Dudley Field Malone.Chief Prosecutors: William Jennings Bryan and A.T. StewartJudge: John T. RaulstonPlace: Dayton, TennesseeDates of Trial: July 10-21, 1925Verdict: Guilty; however, neither side won the case because the decision was reversed on a technicality inv…
Defendant: Brigadier General William MitchellCrime Charged: Insubordination and "conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the military service"Chief Defense Lawyers: Frank G. Plain, Frank Reid, and Colonel Herbert A. WhiteChief Prosecutors: Major Allen W. Gullion, Lieutenant Joseph L. McMullen, and Colonel Sherman MorelandJudges: Major General Charles P. Summerall, Chief of the U.…
Defendants: Earl Gentry, Earl Klinck, and David Curtis StephensonCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Floyd Christian, Ira W. Holmes, and "Eph" InmanChief Prosecutors: Charles E. Cox, Ralph Kane, William H. RemyJudge: Will M. SparksPlace: Noblesville, IndianaDates of Trial: October 28-November 14, 1925Verdicts: Stephenson: guilty; Gentry and Klinck: not guiltySentence: Life im…
Defendants: Ossian and Henry SweetCrimes Charged: Conspiracy to commit murder and murderChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Thomas ChawkeChief Prosecutors: Robert M. Toms and Lester S. MollJudge: Frank MurphyPlace: Detroit, MichiganDates of Trials: First trial: November 1925; second trial: April-May 1926Verdicts: First trial: Mistrial/hung jury; second trial: Not guil…
Defendant: David L. MarshallCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Abraham WernickChief Prosecutor: Charles E. FoxJudge: Harry S. McDevittPlace: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDate of Trial: March 8-24, 1926Verdict: Guilty: second-degree murderSentence: 10-20 years SIGNIFICANCE: Illicit sex, blackmail, and a savage killing all combined to make this one of the most sensational trials in Pennsylvania…
Defendants: Frances Stevens Hall, Henry Stevens, and William StevensCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence E. Case, Robert H. McCarter, and Timothy N. PfeifferChief Prosecutors: Francis L. Bergen and Alexander SimpsonJudges: Frank L. Cleary and Charles W. ParkerPlace: Somerville, New JerseyDates of Trial: November 3-December 3, 1926Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: This trial came fo…
Defendants: Sherman Burns: trial 3; William J. Burns: trial 3; Henry Mason Day: trial 3; Edward L. Doheny: trials 1 and 8; Albert B. Fall: trials 1, 3, and 7; Harry F. Sinclair: trials 2, 3, and 4; and Robert W. Stewart: trial 6Crimes Charged: Conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government: trials 1 and 4; Contempt of the U.S. Senate: trials 2 and 5; Contempt of court for jury shadowing: trial 3; Perju…
Defendants: Ruth Snyder and Judd GrayCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: For Ruth Snyder: Edgar F. Hazleton and Dana Wallace; For Judd Gray: Samuel L. Miller and William J. MillardChief Prosecutor: Richard E. NewcombeJudge: Townsend ScudderPlace: Long Island City, Queens, New YorkDates of Trial: April 27-May 9, 1927Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: In a macabre …
Plaintiff: Carrie BuckDefendant: Dr. J.H. BellAppellant's Claim: That Virginia's eugenic sterilization law violated Carrie Buck's constitutional rightsChief Defense Lawyer: Aubrey E. StrodeChief Lawyer for Appellant: Irving WhiteheadJustices: Louis D. Brandeis, Pierce Butler, Willis Van Devanter, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James C. McReynolds, Edward T. Sanford, Harlan F. Stone, G…
Defendant: Henry Colin CampbellCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Francis A. GordonChief Prosecutor: Abe J. DavidJudge: Clarence E. CasePlace: Elizabeth, New JerseyDate of Trial: June 9-13, 1929Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: A curious case in which claims of amnesia were used by a killer to demonstrate his mental instability and hopefully keep him off death row. When the char…
Defendant: Alexander PantagesCrime Charged: RapeChief Defense Lawyers: Earl M. Daniels, W. J. Ford, Jerry Giiesler, and W. I. GilbertChief Prosecutors: Burton Fitts, and Robert P. StewartJudge: Charles FrickePlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trials: First: October 4-27, 1929; Second: November 3-27, 1931Verdict: First trial: Guilty; Second trial: Not guiltySentence: First trial: 50 years impri…
Defendants: Olin Montgomery, Clarence Norris, Haywood Patterson, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Charles Weems, Eugene Williams, Andy Wright, and Roy WrightCrime Charged: RapeChief Defense Lawyers: Joseph Brodsky, George W. Chamlee, Samuel S. Leibowitz, Milo Moody, Stephen R. Roddy, and Clarence WattsChief Prosecutors: H. G. Bailey, Melvin Hutson, Thomas G. Knight, Jr., Thomas Lawson, and Wade Wrigh…
Defendant: Alphonse "Scarface Al" CaponeCrime Charged: Income tax evasionChief Defense Lawyers: Michael J. Ahern and Thomas D. NashChief Prosecutor: George E. 0. JohnsonJudge: James H. WilkersonPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDates of Trial: October 6-24, 1931Verdict: First indictment (tax liability for 1924): Not guilty; second indictment (22 counts): Guilty on five counts (tax liability fo…
Defendants: Grace Fortescue, Albert 0. Jones, Edward J. Lord, and Thomas H. MassieCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Clarence Darrow, George S. Leisure, Lieutenant L.H.C. Johnson, U.S.N., Frank Thompson, and Montgomery WinnChief Prosecutors: John C. Kelley and Barry S. UlrichJudge: Charles S. DavisPlace: Honolulu, HawaiiDates of Trial: April 4-29, 1932Verdict: Guilty, second-degree murder…
Defendant: William LancasterCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: James M. Carson, James H. LatheroChief Prosecutors: N. Vernon Hawthorne, Henry M. Jones, H.O. EnwallJudge: Henry Fulton AtkinsonPlace: Miami, FloridaDate of Trial: August 2-18, 1932Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: A steamy trial from South Florida that made global headlines, and provided a stark reminder of just how vital cou…
Defendant: Joseph ZangaraCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: James M. McCaskill, Alfred A. Raia, and Lewis TwymanChief Prosecutor: Charles A. MoreheadJudge: Uly 0. ThompsonPlace: Miami, FloridaDate of Trial: March 9, 1933Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: Joseph Zangara's failed attempt to assassinate U.S. President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt demonstrated…
Defendants: Llewellyn and Edith BanksCrime Charge: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Thomas J.Enright, William Phipps, Frank J. Lonergan, Charles A. Hardy, Joseph L. HammerslyChief Prosecutors: William S. Levens, Ralph P. Moody, George Codding, George W. NeilsonJudge: George F. SkipworthPlace: Eugene, OregonDate of Trial: May 1-21, 1933Verdict: Llewellyn Banks: Guilty of second-degree murder; Edith Ban…
Defendant: One Book Entitled Ulysses by James JoyceCrime Charged: ObscenityChief Defense Lawyers: Morris L. Ernst and Alexander LindeyChief Prosecutors: Nicholas Atlas, Samuel C. Coleman, and Martin ConboyJudge: John M. WoolseyPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: November 25-26, 1933Verdict: The book was ruled not obscene SIGNIFICANCE: Judge John Woolsey's decision in the Ulysses case ma…
Defendants: Louis Berrett and Clement F. MolwayCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Charles W. Barrett, Charles E. Flynn, John P. Kane, and Frank TomaselloChief Prosecutors: Hugh A. Cregg, Charles E. Green, and John S. WilsonJudge: Thomas J. HammondPlace: Salem, MassachusettsDates of Trial: February 12-27, 1934Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The Berrett-Molway trial is a classic case of m…
Defendant: Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney)Appellant: Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt)Appellant Claim: Custody of Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, a minorChief Defense Lawyer: Herbert C. SmythChief Lawyer for Appellant: Nathan BurkanJudge: John Francis CarewPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: October 1-November 21, 1934Decision: Custody awarded to Whitney SIGN…
Defendants: Samuel Insull, Samuel Insull, Jr., Harold L. Stuart, and 13 othersCrime Charged: Use of the mails to defraudChief Defense Lawyers: Frederick Burnham, James J. Condon, Harry S. Ditchburne, William H. Haight, John J. Healy, Charles E. Lounsbury, J. Fred Reeve, and Floyd E. ThompsonChief Prosecutors: Dwight H. Green and Leslie SalterJudge: James H. WilkersonPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDates o…
Defendant: Bruno Richard HauptmannCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Edward J. ReillyChief Prosecutor David T. WilentzJudge: Thomas W. TrenchardPlace: Flemington, New JerseyDates of Trial: January 2-February 13, 1935Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: The use of scientific crime detection, a conviction entirely on circumstantial evidence, and the circus-like atmos…
Defendant: Albert FishCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: James Dempsey, Frank J. MahonyChief Prosecutors: Elbert T. Gallagher, Thomas D. ScobleJudge: Frederick P. ClosePlace: White Plains, New YorkDate of Trial: March 11en22, 1935Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: The always-blurred distinctions between medical and criminal insanity became virtually indistinguishable during this…
Defendant: Vera StretzCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Samuel S. LeibowitzChief Prosecutor: Miles O'BrienJudge: Cornelius F. CollinsPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: March 20—April 3, 1936Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: For defense counsel Samuel S. Leibowitz, the Vera Stretz case was the 116th of 139 consecutive trials in which he saved his client from death in th…
Defendant: Charles "Lucky" LucianoCrime Charged: Compulsory prostitutionChief Defense Lawyers: Francis W.H. Adams and George Morton LevyChief Prosecutor: Thomas E. DeweyJudge: Philip J. McCookDates of Trial: May 13-June 7, 1936Verdict: GuiltySentence: 30 to 50 years imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: The "Lucky" Luciano case is a paradox: It proves that, no matter how much mone…
Plaintiff: Mary AstorDefendant: Franklyn ThorpePlaintiff Claims: Custody of child, annulment of marriage, and abrogation of property settlement in earlier divorceChief Defense Lawyers: Joseph Anderson and Michael NarlianChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Joseph F. Rank and Roland Rich WoolleyJudge: Goodwin J. KnightPlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trial: July 29-August 14, 1936Verdict: Decree gran…
Appellant: Angelo HerndonDefendant: James L. LowryAppellant Claim: Unlawful arrestChief Defense Lawyer: J. Waiter LeCrawChief Lawyers for Appellant: Whitney North Seymour, W. A. Sutherland, Elbert P. TuttleJustices: Louis D. Brandeis, Pierce Butler, Benjamin N. Cardozo, Charles Evans Hughes, James C. McReynolds, Owen J. Roberts, Harlan F. Stone, George Sutherland, Willis Van DevanterPlace: Washing…
Appellant & Defendant: Martin T. MantonAppellee & Plaintiff: United StatesAppellant Claim: Reversal of conviction for conspiracy to obstruct the administration of justice and to defraud the United States, and dismissal of sentenceChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: John T. Cahill, Mathias F. Correa, Frank H. Gordon, Silvio J. Mollo, and Robert L. WernerChief Lawyers for Appellant: William J…
Defendants: Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, Louis Capone, Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein, Harry "Happy" Malone, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, and Mendy WeissCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Hyman Barshay, James L. Cuff, William Kleinman, David F. Price, Daniel M. Pryor, and Alfred I. RosnerChief …
Defendants: Manuel Delgado, Henry Leyvas, John Matuz, Jack Melendez, Angel Padilla, Ysmael Parra, Manuel Reyes, Chepe Ruiz, Robert Telles, Victor Thompson, Henry Ynostroza, Gus Zammora et al.Crimes Charged: Murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit murder, misdemeanor assaultChief Defense Lawyers: George E. Shibley, et al.Chief Prosecutors: John Barnes, Clyde ShoemakerJudge: Charl…
Defendant: Errol FlynnCrime Charged: Statutory RapeChief Defense Lawyers: Jerry Geisler and Robert NeebChief Prosecutors: Thomas W. Cochran and John HopkinsJudge: Leslie E. StillPlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trial: January 11-February 6, 1943Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the outcome, the Errol Flynn trial focused national attention on Hollywood's sexual mores, which bot…
Defendants: Bernard Joseph Lotka, Tillie MichalskiCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Lotka: George A. Codding, 0. H. Bengtson; Michalski: Otto J. FrohnmayerChief Prosecutors: George W. Neilson, Allison MoultonJudge: H. K. HannaPlace: Medford, OregonDate of Trials: Lotka: May 17-20, 1943 Michalski: May 24-28, 1943Verdicts: Lotka: guilty of second-degree murder; Michalski: not guiltySentenc…
Defendant: Private Eddie D. SlovikCrime Charged: Violation of the 58th Article of War (desertion to avoid hazardous duty)Chief Defense Lawyer: Captain Edward P. WoodsChief Prosecutor: Captain John 1. GreenJudges: 1st Lieutenant Bernard Altman, Captain Stanley H. French, Captain Benedict B. Kimmelman, Major Orland F. Leighty, Major Robert D. Montondo, Captain Arthur V. Patterson, Captain Clarence W…
Appellant and Defendant: Mitsuye EndoAppellant Claim: Entitlement to habeas corpusChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Charles FaheyChief Lawyer for Appellant James C. PurcellJustices: Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone; Justices Hugo L. Black, William 0. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, Robert H. Jackson, Frank Murphy, Stanley F. Reed, Owen J. Roberts, and Wiley B. RutledgePlace: Washington, D.C.Date of Decision: D…
Defendant: Ezra PoundCrime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: Thurman Arnold, Julien Cornell, and Robert W. Furniss, Jr.Chief Prosecutors: Isaiah Matlack, and Oliver GaschJudge: Bolitha J. LawsPlace: Washington, D.C.Date of Trial: February 13, 1946Verdict: Unsound mind; indictment dismissed in 1958 SIGNIFICANCE: This case involved a unique combination of elements: the charge of treason, a defe…
Defendant: Sally Rand (Helen Gould Beck)Crime Charged: Indecent exposure, corrupting the morals of an audience, and conducting an obscene showChief Defense Lawyer: J.W. "Jake" EhrlichChief Prosecutor: Frank BrownJudge: Daniel R. ShoemakerPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: November 13-14, 1946Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The brief trial of Sally Rand demonstrated the…
Defendant: William Tatem Tilden 11Crime Charged: Contributing to the delinquency of a minorChief Defense Lawyer: Richard MaddoxChief Prosecutor: William RitziJudge: A. A. ScottPlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trials: January 16, 1947; February 10, 1949Verdicts: GuiltySentences: One year in jail each time SIGNIFICANCE: Bill Tilden was one of the greatest tennis player who ever lived. He conso…
Plaintiff: Konrad BercoviciDefendant: Charles S. ChaplinPlaintiff Claim: PlagiarismChief Defense Lawyer: Louis FrohlichChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Louis NizerJudge: Harold P. BurkePlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: April 17-May 1, 1947Verdict: None; suit settled for $95,000 payment by Chaplin SIGNIFICANCE: This suit against Charlie Chaplin for plagiarism attracted international attention and…
Defendant: Caryl Whittier ChessmanCrimes Charged: Kidnapping, sexual perversion, and robberyChief Defense Lawyers: Caryl Chessman and Al MatthewsChief Prosecutor: J. Miller LeavyJudge: Charles W. FrickePlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trial: April 4-May 21, 1948Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: Caryl Chessman's uniquely documented struggle against capital punishment not onl…
Defendants: Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner, Jr., John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Sam Ornitz, Robert Adrian Scott, and Dalton TrumboCrime Charged: Contempt of CongressChief Defense Lawyers: Bartley Crum, Charles J. Katz, Robert W. Kenny, and Martin PopperChief Prosecutor: William HitzJudges: Edward M. Curran, Richmond B. Keech, and David A. PinePlace: Wa…
Defendant: Alger HissCrime Charged: PerjuryChief Defense Lawyers: Robert M. Benjamin, Claude B. Cross, Chester T. Lane, Edward C. McLean, Robert von Mehren, Victor Rabinowitz, Harold Rosenwald, Harol Shapero, and Lloyd Paul StrykrChief Prosecutors: Thomas J. Donegan, Myles J. Lane, Thomas F. Murphy, and Clarke S. RyanJudges: First trial: Samuel J. Kaufman; Second trial: Henry W. GoddardPlace: New …
Defendants: Martha Beck and Raymond FernandezCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: John H. Minton and Herbert E. RosenbergChief Prosecutors: Edward F. Breslin, James W. Gehrig, and Edward Robinson, Jr.Judge: Ferdinand PecoraPlace: New York, New YorkDates of Trial: June 9-August 18, 1949Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death by electrocution SIGNIFICANCE: This notorious "lonely hearts murders&…
Defendant: Ruth Ann SteinhagenCrime Charged: Assault with intent to commit murderChief Defense Lawyer: George BieberChief Prosecutor: John S. BoyleJudge: James J. McDermottPlace: Chicago, IllinoisDate of Trial: June 30, 1949Verdict: Not guilty by reason of insanity SIGNIFICANCE: The near-murder of Eddie Waitkus, star first baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies, was one of the first sensational exam…
Defendant: Iva Ikuko Toguri ("Tokyo Rose")Crime Charged: TreasonChief Defense Lawyers: Wayne M. Collins, George Oishausen, and Theodore TambaChief Prosecutors: Thomas DeWolfe, Frank J. Hennessy, John Hogan, and James KnappJudge: Michael J. RochePlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: July 5-September 29, 1949Verdict: GuiltySentence: 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine SIGNI…