Gitlow was responsible for publishing and disseminating the group's views. He did so in such pamphlets as the "The Left Wing Manifesto." The manifesto was also published in The Revolutionary Age, the official paper of the Left Wing. The opinions expressed in these publications formed the bases for the defendant's convictions under Sections 160 and 161 of the penal law o…
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.…
The unique facts of the case created a need for a new application of the generally accepted theory that negligence is the absence of care, according to the circumstances. Mrs. Palsgraf was standing on a railroad platform when she was injured by falling scales. The scales toppled as the result of a shock of an explosion caused by an accident that occurred at the other end of the platform, "m…
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…
The Court defined two issues: whether the Senate or House of Representatives has authority to use its own process to compel a private person to appear as a witness and to testify before it or one of its committees in order that Congress can perform a legislative function that it has under the Constitution; and whether the process that was used in this case was directed toward that purpose. Before …
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 …
Having laid out the features of the law and the Court's initial concerns, Hughes reviewed the history of freedom of the press in England and quoted approvingly from Blackstone that liberty of the press consists in laying no previous restraints upon publication and not in freedom from censure for criminal matter when published. Hughes concluded that this principle had been honored since the …
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…
On March 25, 1931, nine young black men were traveling on a freight train through Alabama. Haywood Patterson, Eugene Williams, and brothers Roy and Andy Wright were friends, having grown up together in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ozie Powell, Olen Montgomery, Charley Weems, Willie Roberson, and Clarence Norris all hailed from different parts of Georgia. Also on the train were seven white men and two w…
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…
