Precedents

Dec. 14, 1982: Conviction in murder of federal judge

Charles Voyde Harrelson was on the lam when he was arrested on a West Texas roadside just outside of the town of Van Horn. He arrived in a borrowed Corvette, and when local officers showed up, he was standing shirtless, tripping hard on cocaine, holding a gun to his head and babbling his confession to the murder of John F. Kennedy and, what proved more significant, the assassination of a federal judge.

Oct 1, 2026 12:05 AM CDT

Justice Thomas says farmwork helped shape his views on precedents

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said working on a farm as a child has informed his views on legal precedents.

Aug 27, 2026 10:17 AM CDT

Sept. 1, 1951: Kefauver’s TV mob hearings

In March 1951, a dapper man sat before the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce and attempted to explain to a handful of U.S. senators why exactly he could not estimate his personal net worth. His name was Frank Costello—reputed head of the Luciano crime family—and, from that moment on, he became the face of American organized crime.

Jul 1, 2026 12:05 AM CDT

May 15, 1911: Supreme Court orders Standard Oil breakup

John D. Rockefeller was barely 20 when Edwin Drake struck oil in the Pennsylvania town of Titusville in 1859. Drake’s discovery produced an “oil rush” to the area not unlike California’s gold rush 10 years earlier; and Rockefeller, an ambitious bookkeeper working 120 miles west, was looking for a business that would make him rich.

Apr 1, 2026 12:05 AM CDT

Dec. 14, 1982: Conviction in murder of federal judge

Justice Thomas says farmwork helped shape his views on precedents

Sept. 1, 1951: Kefauver’s TV mob hearings

May 15, 1911: Supreme Court orders Standard Oil breakup

Topics: Career & Practice

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Precedents

Dec. 14, 1982: Conviction in murder of federal judge

Justice Thomas says farmwork helped shape his views on precedents

Sept. 1, 1951: Kefauver’s TV mob hearings

May 15, 1911: Supreme Court orders Standard Oil breakup

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Topics: Career & Practice

Calling judge vulgar name doesn’t amount to criminal contempt, state supreme court says

Your Voice

Is it worth reconsidering retirement?

Podcasts

What happened at Weil Gotshal? Could tech help other firms avoid that fate?