Defendant: William Armstrong Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Abraham Lincoln Chief Prosecutors: Hugh Fullerton and J. Henry Shaw Judge: James Harriot Place: Beardstown, Illinois Date of Trial: May 8, 1858 Verdict: 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 …
Jeremiah S. Black, U.S. Attorney General; Stephen Ableman Sherman Booth Booth, who had been freed by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, should serve the sentence imposed by a federal court. Jeremiah S. Black No counsel appeared for the respondent. John Archibald Campbell, John Catron, Nathan Clifford, Peter Vivian Daniel, Robert Cooper Grier, John McLean, Samuel Nelson, Roger Brooke Taney (writing…
Defendant: Albert J. Tirrell Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Rufus Choate Chief Prosecutor: Samuel D. Parker Judges: Dewey, Hubbard, and Wilde (No record of first names) Place: Boston, Massachusetts Dates of Trial: March 26-30, 1846 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Albert Tirrell's trial was the first time in American history that sleepwalking was successfully used as a defense…
Defendant: Alexander William Holmes Crime Charged: Manslaughter Chief Defense Lawyer: David Paul Brown Chief Prosecutor: William M.Meredith Judge: Baldwin (historical records do not indicate his first name) Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dates of Trial: April 13-23, 1842 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: 6 months in prison and a $20 fine SIGNIFICANCE: In the Alexander Holmes trial, the court held that …
Defendant: Andrew Geddes Crimes Charged: Libel, seduction, attempted abduction Chief Defense Lawyer: George W. Paschal Chief Prosecutor: John Clous Judges: Officers from the army's Texas Division Place: San Antonio, Texas Date of Trial: June 14-August 21, 1879 Verdict: Guilty of all charges except abduction Sentence: Three years in prison and dishonorable discharge; Geddes conviction was ov…
The case arose when John Barron, owner of the largest and most profitable wharf in the eastern section of Baltimore, Maryland, sued the city for losses his wharf had allegedly suffered as a result of silting. When Barron had originally purchased the wharf, the wharf enjoyed the deepest waters in the area. However, in 1815 Baltimore had undertaken a major plan to renovate and modernize the city by …
John Barron The mayor and city council of Baltimore, Maryland The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution required Baltimore to compensate Barron for having "taken" his property by significantly compromising the usefulness of his wharf. Charles Mayer Roger Brooke Taney Gabriel Duvall, William Johnson, John Marshall (writing for the Court), John McLean, Joseph Story, Smith Thompson None (Henry Bal…
Defendant: William Marcy Tweed Crimes Charged: 55 criminal offenses relating to embezzlement of public funds Chief Defense Lawyers: David Dudley Field, John Graham, and Elihu Root Chief Prosecutors: Wheeler H. Peckham, Benjamin K. Phelps, and Lyman Tremain Judge: Noah Davis Place: New York, New York Dates of Trials: January 7-November 19, 1873 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: 1 year in prison and a $250 …
Defendant: Castner Hanway Crime Charged: Treason Chief 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…
Defendant: Charity Lamb Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: James K. Kelly, Milton Elliot Chief Prosecutor: Noah Huber Judge: Cyrus Olney Place: Oregon City, Oregon Territory Date of Trial: September 11-16, 1854 Verdict: Guiltyof second-degree murder Sentence: Life imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: Charity Lamb was the Pacific Northwest's first convicted murderess. Her case represents one…
Defendant: Charles J. Guiteau Crime Charged: Assassinating President James A. Garfield Chief Defense Lawyers: Leigh Robinson and George Scoville Chief Prosecutors: George Corkhill, Walter Davidge, John K. Porter, Elihu Root, and E.B. Smith Judge: Walter Cox Place: Washington, D.C. Dates of Trial: November 14, 1881-January 13, 1882 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Charles Gu…
Defendant: Clement L. Vallandigham Crime Charged: Publicly opposing the federal government's prosecution of the war while supporting the enemies of the Union Chief Defense Lawyers Edward A. Ferguson, George H. Pendleton, George E. Pugh Chief Prosecutor: James M. Cutts, Judge Advocate Senior Presiding Officer: Robert B. Potter Court: J.F. DeCourcy, E. R. Goodrich, J. L. Van Buren, J. M. Brow…
Name of Respondent: Thomas Aves Cause of Action: Writ of habeas corpus for a slave girl, Med Commonwealth Attorneys: Ellis Gray Loring, Rufus Choate, Samuel Sewall Respondent's Counsel: Benjamin Robbins Curtis, C. P. Curtis Judge: Lemuel Shaw Place: Massachusetts Date of Decision: 1836 Verdict: Med was freed, becoming a ward of the court SIGNIFICANCE: Shaw's opinion in the Aves case …
Aaron B. Cooley Board of Wardens of the Port of Philadelphia Ship master Aaron B. Cooley protested a port regulation making him pay half the normal fee for a pilot although he did not use one. The regulation, Cooley claimed, was an invasion of the exclusive authority of Congress over foreign and interstate commerce. Campbell, Dallas Morris, Tyson John Catron, Benjamin Curtis (writing for the Court…
Defendants: 393 Dakota Sioux Indians and people of mixed racial background Crimes Charged: Murder and "other outrages" against citizens of the United States Chief Defense Lawyer: None Chief Prosecutor: None Judges: Military Commission Officers Lieutenant Rollin Olin (judge advocate), Colonel William Crooks, Colonel William Marshall, Captain Hiram Grant, Captain Hiram Bailey, and Majo…
Defendant: Daniel McFarland Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Elbridge T. Gerry, John Graham, Charles Spencer Chief 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…
Defendant: Daniel Sickles Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: James T. Brady, John Graham, and Edwin M.Stanton Chief Prosecutor: Robert Ould Judge: Crawford (First nameunavailable) Place: Washington, D.C. Dates of Trial: April 4-26, 1859 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The first use of a plea of temporary insanity by a criminal defendant and the unabashed appeal to the "unwritten…
Defendant: Harvard Professor Dr. John Webster Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Pliny Merrick and Edward D. Sohier Chief Prosecutors: George Bemis and John H. Clifford Judges: LemuelShaw, Charles A. Dewey, Thomas Metcalf, and Samuel Wilde Place: Boston, Massachusetts Dates of Trial: March 19—April 1, 1850 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Because Dr. John W…
Defendant: Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Crimes Charged: Treason and conspiracy Chief Defense Lawyer: General Thomas Ewing Chief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate Joseph Holt Judges: 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 Maj…
Appellant: Dred Scott Defendant: John F.A. Sanford Plaintiff 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 Compromise Chief Defense Lawyers: Hugh A. Garland, H.S.Geyer, George W. Goode, Reverdy Johnson, and Lyman D Norris Chief Lawyers for Appellant Samuel M. Bay, Montgomery Blair, George …
Defendant: Emma Augusta Cunningham Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Henry L. Clinton Chief Prosecutor: A. Oakley Hall Judge: Recorder Smith (historical records do not indicate first name) Place: New York, New York Dates of Trial: May 6-May 9, 1857 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: Emma Augusta Cunningham was acquitted of Dr. Harvey Burdell's murder, and nearly succeeded in her at…
Defendant: Ephraim Avery Crime Charged: Murder Chief 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 Durfee Place: Newport, Rhode Island Date o…
Augustus H. Garland United States That the act of Congress of 24 January 1865, which required all lawyers who practiced before a federal court to swear that they had no sympathy toward the Confederacy, was unconstitutional. Matthew H. Carpenter, Reverdy Johnson Henry Stanbery, U.S. Attorney General; James Speed Nathan Clifford, Stephen Johnson Field (writing for the Court), Robert Cooper Grier, Sa…
United States William H. McCardle That McCardle had incited insurrection and impeded post-Civil War Reconstruction. Matthew H. Carpenter, Lyman Trumbull Jeremiah S. Black, David Dudley Field, Charles O'Conor, W. L. Sharkey, Robert J. Walker Salmon Portland Chase (writing for the Court), Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Robert Cooper Grier, Stephen Johnson Field, Samuel Freeman Miller, Samuel Nelson, …
Defendant: William H. McCardle Crimes Charged: Inciting insurrection and impeding post-Civil Was Reconstruction Chief Defense Lawyers: Jeremiah S. Black, David Dudley Field, Charles O'Conor, W. L. Sharkey, and Robert J. Walker Chief Prosecutors: Mathew H. Carpenter and Lyman Trumbull Justices: Salmon P. Chase, Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Robert Cooper Grier, Stephen, J. Field, Samuel F. M…
Lambdin P. Milligan United States A military commission was not a competent tribunal for the trial of the petitioner, a military commission may not try nor convict him, and the petitioner should be released. J. S. Black, J. E. McDonald, J. A. Garfield, David Dudley Field, A. L. Roache, John R. Coffuth James Speed; Henry Stanbery, U.S. Attorney General; Benjamin F. Butler Salmon Portland Chase, Nat…
Albert Siebold, Walter Tucker, Martin C. Burns, Lewis Coleman, Henry Bowers State of Maryland The petitioners were all election judges from Baltimore who had been convicted in federal court and subsequently sentenced to prison for stuffing ballot boxes and related incidents of election fraud in a congressional election in Maryland. They sought a writ of habeas corpus "to be relieved from imprisonm…
Defendant: Fitz-John Porter Crimes 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 War Presiding Officer: D. Hunter Court: 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-…
Defendant: George Armstrong Custer Crimes 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. Parsons Prosecutor: Captain Robert Chandler, Judge Advocate Presiding Officer: William Hoffman Court: Benjamin Grierson, Pitcain Morrison, Micha…
Plaintiff: Ruthey Ann Hansley Defendant: Samuel G. Hansley Plaintiff's Claim: Seeking divorce Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Robert Strange Chief Defense Lawyer: William Henry Haywood, Jr. Judges: Thomas Ruffin, Frederic Nash, Richmond M. Pearson Place: Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Decision: December 1849 Verdict: Divorce Denied SIGNIFICANCE: This case showed just how difficult it was for a…
Defendant: Henry Flipper Crimes: Embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officer Chief Defense Lawyer: Merritt Barber Chief Prosecutor: John W. Clous, Judge Advocate Presiding Officer: G. Pennypacker Court: J. F. Wade, G. W. Schofield, W. E. Waters, William Fletcher, W. N. Tisdall, R.G. Heiner, E.S. Ewing, W.V. Richards Place: Fort Davis, Texas Date of Trial: September 15; November 1-December 13, 1…
Defendant: Captain Henry Wirz Crimes Charged: 13 counts of murder, assault, battery, torture and other offenses against Union prisoners Chief Defense Lawyer: Louis Schade Chief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate Colonel N. P. Chipman Judges: Military Commission officers Brevet Colonel T. Allcock, Brevet Brigadier General John F. Ballior, Brigadier General A. S. Bragg, Brigadier General Francis Fessenden, …
Defendant: Hester Vaughan Crime Charged: First-degree murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Guforth (No first name listed.) Chief Prosecutor: No record. Judge: Ludlow (No first name listed) Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dates of Trial: June 10—July 2, 1868 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: When the teenaged Hester Vaughan allegedly murdered her newborn infant, she was prosecuted by a…
Defendants: Andrew M. Barber, Park Benjamin, Theodore S. Gold, Horace Greeley, Thomas McElrath, Elius Pellet, William Leete Stone, James Watson Webb, Thurlow Weed Plaintiff Claim: Libel Chief 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…
Defendants: Blanche Douglass, James Malley Jr., Walter Mal ley Crime Charged: Murder Chief 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 Bush Judge: Miles T. Granger Place: New Haven, Connecticut Date of Trial: April …
Defendant: John Brown Crime Charged: Insurrection and murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Lawson Botts, Thomas C. Green, Samuel Chilton, and Hiram Griswold Chief Prosecutor Andrew Hunter Judge: Richard Parker Place: Charles Town, Virginia Dates of Trial: October 27-November 2, 1859 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: Tried for leading a famous but unsuccessful raid on the federal…
Defendant: John Charles Frémont Crime: Mutiny, disobedience, conduct prejudicing good order and military discipline Chief Defense Lawyers: Thomas H. Benton, William Carey Jones Chief Prosecutor: John Fitzgerald Lee, Judge Advocate Presiding Officer: G. M. Brooke Court: De Russey, T. F. Hunt Place: District of Columbia (Washington Arsenal) Date of Trial: November 2, 1847-January 31, 1848 Verdi…
Defendant: John C. Colt Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Dudley Selden, John Morrill, Robert Emmett Chief Prosecutor: James Whiting Judge: William Kent Place: New York, New York Date of Trial: January 19-31, 1842 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: The murder trial of John Colt, brother of repeating arms inventor Samuel Colt, began as a missing persons case and cul…
Defendant: John ("Jack") McCall Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: First Trial: "Judge" Miller; Second Trial: Oliver Shannon and William Henry Harrison Beadle Chief Prosecutors: First Trial:"Colonel" George May; Second Trial: William Pound Judges: First Trial:William L. Kuykendall; Second Trial: Peter C. Shannon Place: First Trial:Deadwood, Dakot…
Amos Kendall, U.S. Postmaster General United States That Kendall should not have to order the Post Office Department to pay certain funds to a firm that did business with them, even though a federal court had ordered him to, if he himself, in his official capacity, did not believe the funds should be awarded. Francis Scott Key; Benjamin F. Butler, U.S. Attorney General Richard S. Coxe, Reverdy Joh…
State of Kentucky William Dennison, Governor of Ohio That Governor Dennison should return to Kentucky the man, Willis Lago, who had allegedly helped a slave to escape and who had been indicted in Kentucky for what was a crime under the laws of that state. John W. Stevenson, Humphrey Marshall Ohio Attorney General Christopher P. Wolcott John Archibald Campbell, John Catron, Nathan Clifford, Robert …
Hallett Kilbourn John G. Thompson, Michael C. Kerr, John M. Glover, Jeptha D. New, Burwell P. Lewis, A. Herr Smith Kilbourn objected to the fact that he had been called before a committee of Congress, and, refusing to answer questions, had been jailed for contempt of Congress. He brought suit against Thompson, the sergeant-at-arms, as well as against the five members of the congressional committee…
Martin Luther Luther M. Borden Luther M. Borden, acting under the martial law that had been declared by the state of Rhode Island, had invaded and searched Martin Luther's home. Martin Luther claimed that the government, under which Borden had acted, was not the legitimate government of Rhode Island. Therefore, Borden was guilty of trespass. Benjamin F. Hallett; Nathan Clifford, U.S. Attorney Gene…
Defendant: Commander Alexander Slidell Mackenzie Crimes Charged: 5 criminal offenses, including murder, for having executed 3 seamen suspected of mutiny Chief Defense Lawyer: None Chief Prosecutor: Judge Advocate William H. Norris Judges: 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,…
Plaintiff: Eugenie Martinez Defendant: Juan Del Valle Plaintiff Claim: That Del Valle broke his promise to marry the plaintiff Chief Defense Lawyer: Joseph H. Choate Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff: William H. Beach Judge: Donohue (historical records do not indicate first name) Place: New York, New York Date of Trial: 1877 January Term Decision: Jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff for damages of …
Defendant: Mary Todd Lincoln Petitioner: Robert Todd Lincoln Relief Sought: Declaration that Mary Todd Lincoln was insane and the appointment of a conservator to handle her estate Chief Defense Lawyers: Isaac Newton Arnold Chief Attorney for Petitioner: Benjamin F. Ayers; Leonard T. Swett handled all of the pretrial preparation Judge: Marion R. M. Wallace Place: Chicago, Illinois Date of Trial: Ma…
Virginia Minor (with Francis Minor, her husband, as required by Missouri law, which did not permit married women to bring suit on their own) Reese Happersett That Virginia Minor's constitutional rights were violated by Happersett's refusal to register her to vote in the election of 1872. Francis Minor, John M. Rum, John B. Henderson No opposing counsel Joseph P. Bradley, Nathan Clifford, David Dav…
Munn & Scott State of Illinois That the state law of Illinois requiring that a warehouse operate under a state license and that it conform to state-set rates violated the due process guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment. W. C. Goudy, John N.Jewett Attorney General of Illinois Joseph P. Bradley, Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Ward Hunt, Samuel Freeman Miller, Noah Haynes Swayne, Morrison Remick Wai…
Plaintiff: Reverend Theophilus Packard, Jr. Defendant: Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard Plaintiff Claim: That his wife was insane and that he was therefore entitled to confine her at home Chief Defense Lawyers: Stephen Moore and John W. Orr Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff: No record Judge: Charles R. Starr Place: Kankakee, Illinois Dates of Trial: January 13-18, 1864 Verdict: Elizabeth Packard declared s…
Defendant: President Andrew Johnson Crime Charged: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" within the meaning of Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution Chief Defense Lawyers: William Maxwell Evarts and Benjamin R. Curtis Chief Prosecutors: Seven "trial managers" from the House of Representatives Judges: U.S. Senate, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding Place: Washingt…
Edward Prigg State of Pennsylvania That laws passed by the U.S. Congress regulating interstate retrieval of fugitive slaves take precedence over state laws on the same subject. Meredith, Nelson Johnson, Attorney General of Pennsylvania Henry Baldwin, John Catron, Peter Vivian Daniel, John McKinley, Joseph Story (writing for the Court), Roger Brooke Taney, Smith Thompson, James Moore Wayne John McL…
Sarah Prince George Prince That she should be provided alimony and child support after her husband deserted her, even when he had no property or fixed or permanent income. Elliott Magrath, Yeadon Benjamin Faneuil Dunkin, Johnson Charleston, South Carolina March 1845 A husband, when he has the income, is responsible for alimony and child support. South Carolina took a fresh look at the idea of supp…
Owners of four ships as claimants: Hiawatha, Crenshaw, Amy Warwick, and Brilliante United States That the seizure of these ships for violation of blockade was illegal, because the war was a civil war, not an international war. Charles Edwards Richard Henry Dana, Jr. David Davis, Robert Cooper Grier (writing for the Court), Samuel Freeman Miller, Noah Haynes Swayne, James Moore Wayne John Catron, N…
The proprietors of the Charles River Bridge The proprietors of the Warren Bridge That it held an exclusive charter to operate a toll bridge, and the state of Massachusetts violated the Contract Clause of the Constitution by granting a charter to another bridge company. Warren Dutton, Daniel Webster Simon Greenleaf, John Davis Henry Baldwin, Philip Pendleton Barbour, Roger Brooke Taney (writing for…
Defendant: Anthony Burns Crime Charged: Being a fugitive slave Claimant: Charles Suttle Chief Defense Lawyers: Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Charles Mayo Ellis Claimant's Lawyer: Seth J. Thomas Judge: Edward Greeley Loring Place: Boston, Massachusetts Dates of Hearing: May 25-June 2, 1854 Decision: Anthony Burns was the property of Charles Suttle and was returned to him. SIGNIFICANCE: The Anthon…
Defendant: George Reynolds Crime Charged: Bigamy Chief Defense Lawyers: George W. Biddle and Ben Sheeks Chief Prosecutor: William Carey Judge: Alexander White Place: Salt Lake City, Utah Dates of Trial: October 30-December 10, 1875 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Two years imprisonment and a$500 fine SIGNIFICANCE: The Mormons, who settled Utah, permitted members of their religion to practice polygamy.…
Defendant: Richard Parmelee Robinson Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Ogden Hoffman, Hugh Maxwell, William Price Chief Prosecutors: Thomas Phoenix, Robert H. Morris Judge: Ogden Edwards Place: New York, New York Date of Trial: June 2-7, 1836 Verdict: 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 J…
Plaintiffs: Sarah Roberts, Benjamin F. Roberts Defendant: Boston, Massachusetts Plaintiff's Lawyer: Charles Sumner Defendant's Lawyer: Peleg Chandler Judge: Lemuel Shaw Place: Boston, Massachusetts Date of Trial: 1848-1849 Decision: The court nonsuited the plaintiff, in effect dismissing the case SIGNIFICANCE: The Roberts case established the principle of "separate but equal&#…
Dred Scott John F. A. Sanford That Scott, who was a slave, had become a free man when his owner had taken him to a state designated as "free" under the 1820 Missouri Compromise. Samuel M. Bay, Montgomery Blair, George Ticknor Curtis, Alexander P. Field, Roswell M. Field, David N. Hall Hugh A. Garland, H. S. Geyer, George W. Goode, Reverdy Johnson, Lyman D. Norris John Archibald Campbell, John Catr…
Butchers' Benevolent Association of New Orleans; The Livestock Dealers' and Butchers' Association of New Orleans The Crescent City Live Stock Landing and Slaughter House Company; State of Louisiana That the state's establishment of a monopoly in stock slaughtering violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. John Campbell, J. Q. A. Fellows T. J. Durant Salmon Portland Chase, Nathan Clifford,…
Defendants: Robert Hayes Mitchell, John W. Mitchell, Thomas B. Whitesides, John S. Millar (Miller), Edward T. Avery Crimes Charged: Conspiracy to prevent blacks from voting; conspiracy to oppress, threaten, and intimidate blacks who had exercised their right to vote in 1870 Chief Defense Lawyers: Reverdy Johnson, Henry Stanbery, James F. Hart, C. D. Melton, W. B. Wilson and F. W. McMaster Chief Pr…
Defendant: Celia, a Slave Charge: Murder Chief Defense Lawyers: Isaac M. Boulware, John Jameson, and Nathan Chapman Kouns Chief Prosecutor: Robert Prewitt Judge: William Hall Place: Calloway County, Missouri Dates of Trial: October 9-10, 1855 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Hanging SIGNIFICANCE: This case graphically illustrates that enslaved women had no legal recourse when raped by their masters. Alth…
Taylor Strauder State of West Virginia That a West Virginia statute allowing only whites to serve on juries prevented Strauder from enjoying due process and full protection under the law. George O. Davenport; Charles Devens, U.S. Attorney General Robert White; J. W. Green Joseph P. Bradley, John Marshall Harlan I, Ward Hunt, Samuel Freeman Miller, William Strong (writing for the Court), Noah Hayne…
John Swift George W. Tyson In a federal case based on diversity jurisdiction, the common law of the locus state should govern the tender of a negotiable instrument, not common law developed by a federal court. Fessenden Dana Henry Baldwin, John Catron, Peter Vivian Daniel, John McKinley, John McLean, Joseph Story (writing for the Court), Roger Brooke Taney, Smith Thompson, James Moore Wayne None W…
The question of assignments was at the heart of Swift. A third-party assignee of a bill of exchange drawn in New York presented it for payment and was refused. The third party, who was not a New York resident, sued in New York federal district court. The New York common law held that a bill of exchange could not be assigned, and the federal judge ruled accordingly. Because New York was the leading…
State of Texas George W. White, John Chiles, et al. That securities sold to the appellees by a Confederate military board were the property of the state of Texas and should be returned. R. T. Merrick, George W. Pascal P. Phillips, J. M. Carlisle, S. S. Cox, J. W. Moore Salmon Portland Chase (writing for the Court), Nathan Clifford, David Davis, Stephen Johnson Field, Samuel Nelson Robert Cooper Gr…
Defendant: Thomas Wilson Dorr Crime Charged: Treason Chief Defense Lawyers: Thomas W. Dorr, representing himself, assisted bySamuel Y. Atwell, George Turner, Walter S. Burges Chief Prosecutors: Joseph W. Blake, Alfred Bosworth Judges: Job Durfee, Levi Haile, William R. Staples, and George A. Brayton Place: Newport, Rhode Island Date of Trial: April 26-May 7, 1844 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Life imp…
Plaintiff: Theodore Tilton Defendant: Henry Ward Beecher Plaintiff Claim: That Beecher had committed adultery with Tilton's wife Chief Defense Lawyers: William M. Evarts, John L. Hill, John K. Porter, Thomas G. Shearman, and Benjamin F. Tracy Chief Lawyers for Plaintiff: W. Fullerton, Samuel D. Morris, and Roger A. Pryor Judge: Neilson (historical records do not indicate first name) Place:…
Defendants: Joseph Cinque and others Crimes Charged: Murder and piracy Chief Defense Lawyers: John Quincy Adams, Roger S. Baldwin, Joshua Leavitt, and Seth Staples Chief Prosecutor: William S. Holabird Judges: Andrew T. Judson and Smith Thompson Place: New Haven, Connecticut Dates of Trial: November 19, 1839-January 13, 1840 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: When the courts refused to convict slav…
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. Whitaker Chief…
Defendant: Susan B. Anthony Crime Charged: Unlawful Voting Chief Defense Lawyers: Henry R. Selden and John Van Voorhis Chief Prosecutor: Richard Crowley Judge: Ward Hunt Place: Canandaigua, New York Dates of Trial: June 17-18, 1873 Verdict: 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…
Standing Bear and other Ponca Indians George Crook, U.S. Army General That confinement of American Indians by the U.S. Army violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. John L. Webster, Andrew J. Poppleton Genio M. Lambertson Elmer S. Dundy Lincoln, Nebraska 12 May 1879 The Court upheld Standing Bear's claim and ordered the Poncas released from U.S. custody. Bacon, Donald C., et al…
United States William J. Cruikshank, et al. That the defendants should be convicted of violations of 16 federal laws, including involvement in the lynching of two black men and the violation of the victims' "right and privilege peaceably to assemble together." Edwards Pierrepont, Attorney General; Samuel F. Phillips, Solicitor General David Dudley Field, Reverdy Johnson, R. H. Marr, Philip Phillip…
Defendants: Don Pedro Lujan Crimes Charged: Violation of the Trade and Intercourse Act of 1834, libel and indebtedness to the United States Chief Defense Lawyers: George A. Smith (chief counsel), Josiah Slayton, William Pickett Chief Prosecutor: Seth M. Blair Judge: Zerubbabel Snow Place: Great Salt Lake City, Utah Dates of Trials: December 30, 1851-January 1, 1852; January 15-17, 1852 Verdict: Gu…
Defendants: Telokite, Tomahas, Kiamasumkin, Isiaasheluckas, Clokomas Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Kintzing Pritchette Chief Prosecutor: Amory Holbrook Judge: Orville C. Pratt Place: Oregon City, Oregon Territory Dates of Trial: May 21-24, 1850 Verdict: Guilty Sentence: Death by hanging SIGNIFICANCE: This trial was the foremost attempt by the newly created Oregon Territory to move aw…
Defendants: Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, John "Doc" Holliday Crime Charged: Murder Chief Defense Lawyer: Thomas Fitch Chief Prosecutor: Lyttleton Price Judge: Wells Spicer Place: Tombstone, Arizona Date of Trial: October 31-November 29, 1881 Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The month-long trial—actually a preliminary hearing—made possible an American legend. …
James Wynehamer People of the State of New York That the law prohibiting the sale of alcohol under which Wynehamer was indicted was unconstitutional, because it abridged his constitutional right to dispose of his own property as he saw fit. A. J. Parker A. Sawin Chief Justice Denio, Justices Comstock (writing for the court), Hubbard, Johnson, Johnson, Mitchell, Selden, Wright None Albany, New York…