Legal History

Training Ground for the Presidency

When Lincoln was elected president in 1860, he had less experience in public office than almost every president who had preceded him. His career in government amounted to eight years in the Illinois General Assembly and another two in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Feb 2, 2009 5:10 AM CST

More Than Just a Bill of Lading

The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation is one of the great moments in American history. At the time, even President Lincoln had to calm himself down. He was so nervous and excited that his hands were shaking, but he didn’t want that to show in his signature for fear someone might think he was wavering or uncertain about what he was doing.

Feb 2, 2009 5:00 AM CST

A Lincoln Reading List

See Abraham Lincoln, Esq.

2009 is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, so it’s the perfect year to catch up on reading about what made him arguably our greatest president and certainly our favorite lawyer-president.

This list compiles recommendations from our authors:

Feb 2, 2009 4:50 AM CST

A Lawyer at Heart

Lincoln’s legal background imbued his presidency with a sense of justice

Feb 2, 2009 3:49 AM CST

February 24, 1803

Marbury v. Madison Decided

Feb 2, 2009 12:09 AM CST

What Should Be Done With Portrait of Disgraced 2nd Circuit Judge?

When a longtime federal district court judge in New York died last year, he left an unusual legacy. In the chambers of Judge Charles Brieant Jr. was a portrait of a former judge on the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: Martin Manton. Once considered a candidate…

Jan 28, 2009 6:06 PM CST

Will U.K. Parliament End Royal Ban on Marrying a Catholic?

There are, undoubtedly, advantages to being the king or queen of England. But one disadvantage is that those who so desire can’t marry a Catholic and retain the British throne. Under a 308-year-old United Kingdom law, the monarch not only must be Protestant but can’t be married to a Catholic…

Jan 21, 2009 5:12 PM CST

What a Legal Recession Looks Like

Today’s big-firm associates and junior partners weren’t even in law school during the last deep, sustained legal recession.

Jan 1, 2009 11:59 AM CST

How Did They Get It So Wrong?

Left and right differ on the decisions, but each side has its ‘worst’ list

Jan 1, 2009 6:30 AM CST

January 11, 2003

Ryan Empties Death Row

Jan 1, 2009 6:00 AM CST

December 18, 1944

Korematsu Conviction Upheld

Dec 2, 2008 12:40 AM CST

Did You Know This ‘Jeopardy’ Game Show Question?

Readers of this site and fans of the long-running television game show Jeopardy may have been quick to hit the buzzer recently when they saw this item flash up on the screen: “In 1957, the ABA, this group, acknowledged the debt U.S. law owed the Magna Carta & erected a…

Nov 26, 2008 5:19 PM CST

Sued By Former Client, Denver Law Firm Eventually Wins $300,000

After a five-year litigation saga, a Denver law firm has not only prevailed in its defense of a case initially brought by a former client as a legal malpractice action but won $300,000 in a counterclaim alleging fraud. Ex-client Richard Crowe had contended that Franklin D. Azar & Associates and…

Nov 14, 2008 11:42 PM CST

33 Yrs of Rehnquist Papers Donated to Stanford

Papers covering the 33 years that the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist spent on the U.S. Supreme Court, including correspondence with fellow justices, have been donated to his alma mater. Rehnquist’s family released the papers to the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University the San Francisco Chronicle reports. In addition…

Oct 23, 2008 3:50 PM CDT

New Book By Lawyer’s Daughter: How My Parents Helped Integrate St. Louis

Growing up in a circle of influential African-American attorneys at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court had just decided that racially restrictive property deed covenants were unconstitutional, Gail Milissa Grant took it for granted that she, too, would have a responsibility to help work for a better society when…

Oct 13, 2008 7:26 PM CDT