About this book

An extraordinary introduction for anyone contemplating a legal career; for the rest of us it is a fine reference and a delight to read. – Chicago Tribune. Two hundred historically significant, legally important, and notorious trials (and the occasional court martial) that have been sources of continuing entertainment, public ritual, and real-life drama are recalled through lively text and captivating photos. Included are brief and accurate summaries of such trials as Dred Scott, Lizzy Borden, Leopold and Loeb, Teapot Dome, Brown v. Board of Education, Mapplethorpe, Charles Manson, Roe v. Wade, Jim Bakker, Mike Tyson, Ted Bundy, William Calley, William Kennedy Smith, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Ernesto Miranda, and Oliver North. Here you'll find the major players, name, place, and date of each trial, crime charged or claim made, and the verdict and sentence followed by a discussion of the significance and impact of the trial (with suggestions for further reading). Of interest to crime and mystery readers, history devotees, teachers, jury members, court followers, students, legal professionals, journalists, and prison inmates, Great American Trials is a masterful collection of great courtroom dramas.