Legal History

The Power of Convening: ABA’s legacy and continued impact of convening minds and shaping progress

The word “convening” carries with it an intrinsic potency. From that initial assembly to today, the ABA has exemplified the power of bringing thoughtful minds together to achieve consensus and drive transformative change.

Dec 1, 2023 2:50 AM CST

Dec. 8, 1993: Supreme Court listens to John Fogerty

In late October 1988, John Fogerty—the voice and focus of the meteoric rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival—took the witness stand in a San Francisco courtroom. He also took his guitar.

Dec 1, 2023 12:10 AM CST

Long-lost trial transcript answers many questions about ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and baseball’s ‘Black Sox Scandal’

In Joe Jackson, Plaintiff, vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club, Defendant—Never-Before-Seen Trial Transcript, its editors promise that the unearthed testimony settles many persistent questions in baseball’s “who killed Kennedy.”

Oct 18, 2023 8:13 AM CDT

Nov. 28, 1953: LSD and the death of a CIA scientist

The mystery began in the early morning hours of Nov. 28, 1953, soon after Frank Olson plunged onto the pavement in front of New York City’s Hotel Statler. Two decades later, the mystery surrounding Olson’s death would result in a lawsuit, a presidential apology and a six-figure settlement.

Oct 1, 2023 12:10 AM CDT

A Great Escape: Fugitives and prison cruelty throughout cinematic history

I subscribe to quite a few news apps on my iPhone. I like to get my information regarding U.S. and world events from multiple sources, and feel that if I vary the input sources, there is less chance I’ll fall victim to the self-imposed echo chambers so many of us live in these days.

Aug 29, 2023 10:08 AM CDT

Decoding the Legal Doctorate: The curious case of why lawyers are not called ‘doctor’

“I have been a practicing lawyer since 1988, and I’m acutely aware of the curious dance that attorneys have with how to be addressed professionally, particularly in academic settings. It never occurred to me, however, that lawyers would use the title “Dr.” until a few years after graduating from law school.”

Aug 1, 2023 2:20 AM CDT

First Black federal judges carved a civil rights path

In “The Jackie Robinsons of the Federal Judiciary,” published in the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. recounts the strengths, struggles and legacies of these nine historic trailblazers. “They did not let barriers stop them from becoming federal judges when segregated schools, employers, restaurants, hotels, public bathrooms, water fountains and swimming pools prevailed,” says Epps, a magistrate judge in the Western District of Missouri.

Aug 1, 2023 1:50 AM CDT

Sept. 25, 1930: U.S. names its first drug czar

Even before the end of Prohibition in 1933, public concern about narcotics addiction had been mounting. In the latter half of the 19th century, various opioids and cocaine were used in “patent medicines” and were widely available for sale, with drug laws and their enforcement deferred to the states.

Aug 1, 2023 12:10 AM CDT

Is family court too flawed to be fixed?

Jane M. Spinak did not set out to write a book arguing for the abolition of family court. She thought that she would be making the case for a set of sensible reforms. But the more she dug into the history of the family court system, the previous attempts at reform, and the examples of real world harms that the system had caused, the more she began to believe there was no saving it.

Jul 26, 2023 8:07 AM CDT

Judge rejects Tulsa Race Massacre survivors’ reparations claim

An Oklahoma state court judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, ending what could be the survivors’ best hope for justice for one of the worst racial terror attacks in U.S. history.

Jul 10, 2023 12:00 PM CDT

A Framework for Reparations: Scholars worked years to develop detailed, ‘feasible’ plan

For decades, politicians, scholars and activists have debated whether there should be reparations for slavery, and if so, what form that compensation would take. In The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice, authors William A. Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen and Lucas Hubbard work to answer all questions and move the reparations discussion from theory to action, tapping an interdisciplinary team to create a framework to advance the cause.

Jul 5, 2023 8:07 AM CDT

Supreme Court’s Bruen decision may have aided Hunter Biden in fight against gun charge

A U.S. Supreme Court decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas may have created uncertainty about the constitutionality of a gun charge against President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, leading to a favorable plea deal.

Jun 27, 2023 8:38 AM CDT

For some parties in LGBTQ landmark cases, June 26 is a special day

Before Roberta Kaplan read the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that struck down a law banning federal benefits to same-sex married couples, she knew that her client Edie Windsor had won because the majority was written by then-Justice Anthony Kennedy, who had authored earlier opinions supporting same-sex rights. And there was a dissent from then-Justice Antonin Scalia, who had a history of voting against same-sex rights.

Jun 26, 2023 8:44 AM CDT

Could Trump pardon himself? DOJ considered self-pardons in Nixon era

If former President Donald Trump is convicted on federal charges and then wins reelection, would he have the power to pardon himself?

Jun 21, 2023 8:56 AM CDT

Joe Bell fights to open cold case records of a 1946 mass lynching

At a 2008 American Bar Association event in Washington, D.C., Joseph Bell Jr., an attorney with a keen interest in discrimination cases, first met author Anthony Pitch, a historian and authority on President Abraham Lincoln. A friendship developed.

Jun 20, 2023 2:20 PM CDT