Legal History

What can past presidential history teach us about today? (podcast)

The law is not Dallas attorney Talmage Boston's only love. "I have had a lifelong fascination with the presidency since I was 7 years old, and in recent years have become increasingly fascinated with it, given that so many of our top historians and non-fiction writers are devoting themselves to writing presidential biographies or studying the presidencies of different leaders over the years," Boston says.

Nov 16, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Appeals courts are dismantling stricter voter ID laws

The rulings came quickly this past summer in a steady drumbeat that pleased progressives and disappointed conservatives.

Nov 1, 2016 12:15 AM CDT

Did new black history museum snub Justice Thomas? Spokeswoman says it can’t include everyone

Justice Clarence Thomas scarcely gets a mention in the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Thomas is briefly mentioned in a reference to testimony by Anita Hill during his confirmation hearing, report the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, the Root and an op-ed…

Oct 25, 2016 2:49 PM CDT

John Lennon’s lawyer explains how musician’s deportation case changed immigration law (podcast)

When immigration attorney Leon Wildes got a call from an old law school classmate in January 1972 about representing a musician and his wife who were facing deportation, their names didn't ring a bell. Even after meeting with them privately at their New York City apartment, Wildes wasn't entirely clear about who his potential clients were. He told his wife that he'd met with a Jack Lemon and Yoko Moto. "Wait a minute, Leon," his wife Ruth said to him. "Do you mean John Lennon and Yoko Ono?"

Oct 19, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Judge tosses verdict against cop in alleged road-rage incident, cites trial misconduct by lawyer

A federal judge in Chicago is citing attorney misconduct in tossing a $260,000 jury verdict on behalf of a woman who claimed she was injured by an off-duty Chicago police officer in a road-rage incident. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said plaintiffs lawyer Dana Kurtz had shown a “pervasive and…

Oct 4, 2016 9:10 AM CDT

New documentary ‘Balancing the Scales’ sheds light on the challenges female lawyers have faced

The opening scene of the new documentary Balancing the Scales shows Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg talking about bathrooms.

Oct 1, 2016 4:20 AM CDT

Celebrating the powerful eloquence of Justice Robert Jackson

This year marks two important anniversaries concerning the great Justice Robert H. Jackson.

Oct 1, 2016 2:50 AM CDT

Litigator’s book documents the service of Kansas’ Frontier Guard to President Lincoln

In April 1861, 46 attorneys traveled from the Great Plains to Washington, D.C., where they protected President Abraham Lincoln.

Oct 1, 2016 2:40 AM CDT

A seismic shift in how the US wages war, and what it means for the American public (podcast)

What is war? Is it a state that is entirely distinct from peace? Has it changed over the years to become something else? In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Georgetown law professor Rosa Books shares the experiences she had in the U.S. government which led her to write her new book, “How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon.”

Sep 21, 2016 8:04 AM CDT

Internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II offers cautionary message

The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II offers a cautionary message for current political debates

Sep 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT

Digitization of Harvard case law library will show court patterns and trends

The Harvard Law School library has approximately 40 million pages of case law, which is currently being digitized and scanned so the public can view it for free. It’s the second-largest collection in the country, following the one at the Library of Congress. It includes civil and criminal case law…

Aug 30, 2016 1:15 PM CDT

Eddie Redmayne will play Cravath name partner in movie about Thomas Edison patent battle

Actor Eddie Redmayne has signed on to play influential lawyer Paul Cravath—who became a name partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore—in a historical film about a battle over the patent for the light bulb. Cravath had provided legal advice to George Westinghouse in his 1880s patent battle with Thomas Edison,…

Aug 16, 2016 7:40 AM CDT

Judge is admonished for ‘highly inappropriate’ exchange with defendant

A Georgia judge has been admonished for an exchange with a difficult murder defendant in which the judge used a gay slur and challenged the suspect to carry out a masturbation threat. Judge Bryant Durham Jr. of Floyd County was admonished in a letter after reporting himself to the Georgia…

Aug 5, 2016 8:51 AM CDT

50-year story of the Miranda warning has the twists of a cop show

The 1966 decision in Miranda v. Arizona set the stage for a legal saga displaying the twists and turns of a cop show.

Aug 1, 2016 4:30 AM CDT

What ‘Hamilton’ teaches lawyers about framing a story

The Broadway smash Hamilton teaches lawyers about framing a story.

Aug 1, 2016 2:40 AM CDT