Legal History

Judge Gives White House Three Days to Respond to E-Mail Proposal

Administration officials have three days to draft arguments opposing a federal magistrate’s suggestion that they should copy e-mails on the hard drives of executive office computers. Magistrate Judge John Facciola issued an order to show cause (PDF) yesterday asking officials why they should not have to make a copy of…

Mar 19, 2008 2:41 PM CDT

‘Danny Boy’ and its Lyrics, Written by a Lawyer, Banned at One Pub

A New York pub owner has declared his bar a “Danny Boy”-free zone. Sorry about that, Frederick Edward Weatherly. He’s the lawyer who wrote the lyrics to the song in 1913, words so sad that bar owner Shaun Clancy says they are downright depressing, the Associated Press reports. Clancy, who…

Mar 7, 2008 3:33 PM CST

Lawyer Mines Court Records to Pen ‘Naked Quaker’

Contrary to what we now tend to think, bad behavior was common among the Puritans during the 1660s, according to Diane Rapaport. And she should know: Long-ago court records have proven a treasure trove for the Massachusetts lawyer, who has used them to pen not only a more traditional historic…

Mar 6, 2008 4:14 PM CST

Magna Carta Returns to National Archives

The National Archives invited reporters to see the unveiling of the Magna Carta yesterday, a document back in its possession thanks to the generosity of a lawyer who founded a private equity firm. David Rubenstein, who founded The Carlyle Group, bought a 710-year-old copy of the document for $21.3 million…

Mar 4, 2008 5:31 PM CST

The Lawyer Who Took on Jesse James ... and Won

A Lost Case Uncovered by a Missouri Litigator Pits the Rule of Law Against an Infamous Outlaw

Mar 1, 2008 9:18 PM CST

March 21, 1963

Alcatraz Closes

Mar 1, 2008 9:12 PM CST

Does New Document Bolster Conspiracy Theory in JFK Assassination?

Conspiracy theorists, fasten your seat belts. A document found with other items about a year ago in an old safe in a Dallas courthouse bolsters the theory that President John F. Kennedy may have been assassinated as part of a group plot, and the Dallas County district attorney says it…

Feb 20, 2008 4:31 PM CST

Lawyer-Sleuth May Solve 100-Year-Old Forensic Murder Mystery

Thanks to an Indiana attorney who decided to go back to school to study forensic anthropology, a 100-year-old murder mystery may be on the brink of resolution. With the help of an anthropology professor and University of Indianapolis students, attorney Andrea Simmons, 47, has exhumed what is supposed to be…

Feb 12, 2008 7:13 PM CST

On the Hunt for Abe Lincoln’s Legal Work; 20 Years and Nowhere Near Done

Although he is most famous as a U.S. president elected—and assassinated—during the Civil War era, Abraham Lincoln practiced law as an Illinois attorney for 25 years. Hence, an ambitious project that seeks to locate every legal document he ever wrote has kept academics busy since the 1980s, reports the Los…

Feb 11, 2008 6:34 PM CST

February 25, 1870

First Black U.S. Senator Is Sworn In

Feb 1, 2008 4:58 PM CST

Abe Lincoln’s Self-Study Route to Law Practice a Vanishing Option

It still is possible, in a handful of states, for an individual to pass the bar and work as an attorney without ever actually having attended law school. But, as a practical matter, such self-study of the law is a dying career option available only to a few individuals favored…

Jan 22, 2008 8:59 PM CST

White House Admits Erasing Pre-2003 E-Mail Backups

Last week, a federal magistrate gave White House officials a five-day deadline to answer a question at the center of two consolidated lawsuits: Had they, or had they not, retained backup copies of some 5 million missing official e-mails transmitted between 2003 and 2005? The answer to that question, it…

Jan 16, 2008 11:20 PM CST

Ore. Claims .72 Blood Alcohol Test in DUI—Nine Times Legal Limit

An Oregon drunken driving case has made international news after authorities said they arrested a woman for driving under the influence whose blood alcohol level registered at .72. That is nine times the legal limit in the state and substantially higher than the level ordinarily considered to be lethal. Terri…

Jan 11, 2008 7:31 PM CST

After 17 Years, 1st Sexual Predator to Graduate from Wash. Program

For the first time in its 17-year history, a Washington state treatment program for convicted sex offenders deemed to pose a serious risk of repeating their crimes if released is recommending the unconditional discharge of one of its patients. Gary Cherry, 49, could be released as early as next month…

Jan 10, 2008 12:32 AM CST

Folsom Prison Cancels Johnny Cash Tribute Concert

A 40-year anniversary tribute to the Jan. 13, 1968 concert that made both Johnny Cash and Folsom State Prison in California famous has been canceled. The event was to have taken place Sunday in the same prison cafeteria as his 2 million-selling Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison live album, and…

Jan 9, 2008 8:00 PM CST