A Court that shaped America : Chicago's federal district court from Abe Lincoln to Abbie Hoffman / Richard Cahan ; with a foreword by Marvin E. Aspen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cahan, Richard.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. District Court (Illinois : Northern District)--History.

United States.

District courts--Illinois--Chicago Metropolitan Area--History.

District courts.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (293 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Evanston, Ill. : Northwestern University Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Big and small dramas play out every day in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Headquartered in Chicago, the court has played a pivotal role in U.S. history. This is where Abraham Lincoln, as a young lawyer, changed the direction of westward expansion when he argued that trains-not steamships-were America's future. This is where Al Capone met his fall, at a trial that finished him as Public Enemy Number One. And this is where Abbie Hoffman, the nation's first Yippie, butted heads with Judge Julius J. Hoffman and the Establishment at the trial known as the Conspiracy Eight. A Court That Shaped America traces the flesh-and-blood courtroom scenes from the district's first cases in the early nineteenth century through the turn of the millennium. Historical figures--including Mormon leader Joseph Smith, inventor Thomas Edison, and author Mark Twain--as well as contemporary superstars like Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey have all had their day in the Northern Illinois court. Some were victorious; some came out scathed. This book examines these great trials and the people behind them to offer a unique look at Chicago and U.S. history.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Foreword""; ""Introduction""; ""1778 - 1871: ""The Freest People in the Universe""""; ""1871 - 1922: ""A Sea of Fire""""; ""1922 - 1941: ""I Would Rather Fight Gangsters with Indictments""""; ""1941 - 1963: ""Our Titanic Struggle against the Enemy""""; ""1963 - 1977: ""This Is No Longer a Court of Order""""; ""1977 - 2002: ""You Can't Touch a Federal Court""""; ""Court Chronology""; ""Tables""; ""Select Bibliography""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8101-2125-5

OCLC:

70770678