Defendant: Patricia C. HearstCrimes Charged: Bank robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felonyChief Defense Attorneys: F. Lee Bailey and J. Albert JohnsonChief Prosecutor: James L. Browning, Jr.Judge: Oliver J. CarterPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: February 4-March 20, 1976Verdict: GuiltySentence: 7 years imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: Observers expected Patty Hearst�…
Defendant: Murray R. GoldCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First and second trials: Victor Ferrante, William Kuntsler, Timothy Moynahan; Third trial: John Williams; Fourth trial: William Collins, Nicholas SerigneseChief Prosecutors: John A. Connelly, Francis McDonald, Walter Scanlon, Marcia SmithJudges: First trial: Robert A. Wall; Second trial: George A. Saden; Third trial: Charles D. G…
Defendant: Theodore Robert BundyCrime Charged: First Trial: Aggravated kidnapping; Second Trial: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: First Trial: John O'Connell; Second trial: Robert Haggard, Edward Harvey, Margaret Good, and Lynn ThompsonChief Prosecutors: First Trial: David Yocum; Second Trial: Larry Simpson and Daniel McKeeverJudges: First Trial: Stewart Hanson; Second Trial: Edward CowartPlace…
Defendant: Gary Mark GilmoreCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Michael Esplin and Craig SnyderChief Prosecutor: Noall T. WoottonJudge: J. Robert BullockPlace: Provo, UtahDates of Trial: October 5-7, 1976Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: Convicted killer Gary Gilmore's craving for self-destruction fueled a re-examination of capital punishment in America and led to a best-…
Defendant: Leonard PeltierCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Bruce Ellison, Lew Gurwitz, William Kuntsler, Elliott TaikeffChief Prosecutors: Lynn Crooks, Evan Hultman, Robert SikmaJudge: Paul BensonPlace: Fargo, North DakotaDate of Trial: March 16—April 18, 1977Verdict: GuiltySentence: Life imprisonment (two consecutive terms) SIGNIFICANCE: Countless observers find in this trial a …
Defendant: Randall Dale AdamsCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Edith James and Dennis WhiteChief Prosecutors: Douglas Mulder, Winfield Scott, and Stephen TokelyJudge: Donald J. MetcalfePlace: Dallas, TexasDates of Trial: March 28-May 3, 1977Verdict: GuiltySentence: Death SIGNIFICANCE: The tragedy of Randall Adams, recorded in the movie, The Thin Blue Line, represents a withering indictme…
Defendant: Maryland Governor Marvin MandelCrimes Charged: Mail fraud and racketeeringChief Defense Lawyers: M. Albert Figinski, Eugene Gressman, D. Christopher Ohly, and Arnold M. WeinerChief Prosecutors: Russell T. Baker, Jr., Daniel J. Hurson, Barnet D. Skolnik, and Elizabeth H. TrimbleJudge: Robert L. TaylorPlace: Baltimore, MarylandDates of Trial: June 1-August 21, 1977Verdict: Guilty, later o…
Plaintiff: Frank Collin, on behalf of the National Socialist Party of AmericaDefendant: Albert Smith, as president of the Village of Skokie, IllinoisPlaintiff Claims: That Skokie had illegally prevented the American Nazis from holding a political marchChief Defense Lawyers: Gilbert Gordon and Harvey SchwartzChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: David A. GoldbergerJudge: Bernard M. DeckerPlace: Chicago, Illi…
Defendant: David R. BerkowitzCrimes Charged: Second-degree murder, attempted murder, and assaultChief Defense Lawyers: Ira Jultak and Leon SternChief Prosecutors: Eugene Gold, Mario Merola, and John SantucciJudges: Joseph R. Corso, William Kapelman, and Nicholas TsoucalasPlace: New York, New YorkDate of Trial: May 8, 1978Verdict: GuiltySentence: Six25-years-to-life terms, with additional 15-and 25…
Appellee: Allan BakkeAppellant: The Medical School of the University of CaliforniaAppellee Claim: That the California Supreme Court erred in ruling that the school's special-admissions program for minorities violated Bakke's civil rights as a white male when he was denied admissionChief Lawyer for Appellee: Reynold H. ColvinChief Lawyers for Appellant Archibald Cox, Paul J. Mishkin, …
Plaintiff: Michelle Triola MarvinDefendant: Lee MarvinPlaintiff Claim: That Michelle Triola Marvin was entitled to half of Lee Marvin's earnings during the six years they spent together as an unmarried coupleChief Defense Lawyers: Mark Goldman and A. David KagonChief Lawyer for Plaintiff: Marvin Mitchelson Judge: Arthur K. MarshallPlace: Los Angeles, CaliforniaDates of Trial: January 9-Marc…
Plaintiff: Estate of Karen SilkwoodDefendant: Kerr-McGee Nuclear CompanyPlaintiff Claim: Damages for negligence leading to the plutonium contamination of Karen SilkwoodChief Defense Lawyers: Elliott Fenton, John Griffin, Jr., Larry D. Ottoway, William Paul, L.E. Stringer, and Bill J. ZimmermanChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Gerald Spence, Arthur Angel, and James IkardJudge: Frank G. TheisPlace: Oklah…
Plaintiff: The United StatesDefendant: The Progressive, Inc.Plaintiff Claims: That The Progressive magazine should be prevented from publishing an article concerning how to build a hydrogen bombChief Defense Lawyer: Earl Munson, Jr.Chief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Thomas S. Martin and Frank M. TuerkheimerJudge: Robert W. WarrenPlace: Milwaukee, WisconsinDate of Hearing: March 26, 1979Decision: Injunct…
Defendant: Daniel James WhiteCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Douglas Schmidt and Stephen ScherrChief Prosecutor: Thomas F. NormanJudge: Walter F. CalcagnoPlace: San Francisco, CaliforniaDates of Trial: April 25-May 21, 1979Verdict: Guilty, Voluntary ManslaughterSentence: 7 years, 8 months. SIGNIFICANCE: Celebrity murder trials inevitably attract massive media coverage. What made the Da…
Defendant: Jeffrey Robert MacDonaldCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Bernard L. Segal and Wade SmithChief Prosecutors: James L. Blackburn and Brian MurtaghJudge: Franklin T. DupreePlace: Raleigh, N.C.Dates of Trial: July 16-August 29, 1979Verdict: GuiltySentence: Life imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: The horror of the triple murder and the long delay between the crime and the trial alone were …
Defendant: Edward CantrellCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Gerald L. SpenceChief Prosecutors: Preliminary Hearing: Robert Bath; Trial: Robert PickettJudges: Preliminary Hearing: Nena Stafford; Trial: Kenneth HammPlace: Rock Springs, WyomingDates of Trials: Preliminary Hearing: November 13, 1978-February 7, 1979; Trial: November 12-30, 1979Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: The case demons…
Defendant: John Wayne Gacy, Jr.Crimes Charged: Murder, murder during the commission of a felony, aggravated kidnapping, deviate sexual assault, indecent liberties with a minorChief Defense Lawyers: Sam Amirante, Robert MorraChief Prosecutors: William Kunkle, Robert Egan, Terry SullivanJudge: Louis B. GarripoPlace: Cook County, IllinoisDate of Trial: February 6-March 12, 1980Verdict: Guilty SIGNIFI…
Appellant: Frank W. Snepp IllAppellee: The United StatesAppellant Claims: That a district court erred in ruling that Snepp violated the terms of his Central Intelligence Agency employment agreement by having his book Decent Interval published without the agency's prior consentChief Lawyers for Appellee: David J. Anderson, Barbara Allen Babcock, William B. Cummings, Brook Hedge, Thomas S. Ma…
Defendants: First trial: Howard L. Criden, Angelo J. Errichetti, Louis C. Johanson, and Michael J. Myers; Second trial: Alexander Feinberg and Harrison A. Williams, Jr.Crimes Charged: Bribery and conspiracyChief Defense Lawyers: First trial: Richard Ben-Veniste, Ray Brown, Plato Cacheris, and John Duffy; Second trial: Harry C. Batchelder, Jr. and George J. KoeizerChief Prosecutors: Edward A. McDon…
Defendant: Jean S. HarrisCrime Charged: Second-degree murderChief Defense Lawyer: Joel AurnouChief Prosecutor: George BolenJudge: Russell R. LeggettPlace: White Plains, New YorkDates of Trial: November 21, 1980-February 24, 1981Verdict: GuiltySentence: 15 years to life SIGNIFICANCE: Jean Harris' trial was initially famous for the celebrity of the lover she was accused of murdering, but the …
Opinion of U.S. District Court, N.D. Texas, June 17, 1970 . . . . . . . .499 Briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court Brief for Appellant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505 Brief for Appellee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517 Supplemental Brief for Appellants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .535 Opinion of the…
The facts of the case illustrated the disparate treatment built into U.S. society concerning the role of women. Sharron Frontiero was a U.S. Air Force officer who was married to Joseph Frontiero, a full-time student at a college near the Alabama base where Sharron was stationed. Congress had passed a law that provided fringe benefits to members of the armed forces in the hopes that they would re-e…
Plaintiff: Norma McCorvey, using "Jane Roe" as an alias and representing all pregnant women in a class-action suitDefendant: Texas District Attorney Henry B. WadePlaintiff's Claim: That Texas' abortion laws violated McCorvey's and other women's constitutional rightsChief Defense Lawyers: Jay Floyd and Robert FlowersChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Sarah Weddin…
Defendant: Peter ReillyCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyer: Catherine RorabackChief Prosecutor: John BianchiJudge: John SpezialePlace: Litchfield, ConnecticutDates of Trials: Trial: February 28-April 12, 1974; Appeal: March 25, 1976Verdict: Guilty of manslaughter in first-degree; conviction reversed on appealSentence: More than 6 but no more than 16 years SIGNIFICANCE: Peter Reilly was convi…
Defendant: W.A. BoyleCrime Charged: First-degree murderChief Defense Attorney: Charles F. MosesChief Prosecutor: Richard A. SpragueJudge: Francis J. CataniaPlace: Media, PennsylvaniaDates of Trial: March 25-April 11, 1974Verdict: GuiltySentence: 3 consecutive terms of life imprisonment SIGNIFICANCE: Successful prosecutions of those responsible for the death of Jock Yablonski revealed that his murd…
Plaintiff: United StatesDefendant: President Richard M. NixonPlaintiff Claims: That the president had to obey a subpoena ordering him to turn over tape recordings and documents relating to his conversations with aides and advisers concerning the Watergate break-inChief Defense Lawyer: James D. St. ClairChief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Leon Jaworski and Philip A. LacovaraJustices: Harry A. Blackmun, Wi…
Defendant: Joan LittleCrime Charged: MurderChief Defense Lawyers: Jerry Paul, Morris Dees, Marvin Miller, Karen Galloway, James Gillespie, and Milton WilliamsonChief Prosecutors: William Griffin, John Wilkinson, and Lester ChalmersJudge: Hamilton HobgoodPlace: Raleigh, North CarolinaDates of Trial: July 14-August 15, 1975Verdict: Not guilty SIGNIFICANCE: A mix of sex, race, murder, and unprecedent…
Plaintiff: Joseph T. QuinlanDefendant: St. Clare's HospitalPlaintiff Claim: That doctors at St. Clare's Hospital should obey Mr. Quinlan's instructions to disconnect his comatose daughter from her respirator and allow her to dieChief Defense Lawyers: Ralph Porzio (for Karen Quinlan's physicians), Theodore Einhorn (for the hospital), New Jersey State Attorney General Wil…
