Famous Lawyers
John Adams:  (1735-1826)    John Adams, the second President of the United States of America, was a Harvard Law graduate.  In  one of his most famous cases, Adams represented the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre (1770).  This was not a popular decision, but Adams thought he was doing the right thing.  He helped edit the Declaration of Independence, served as Ambassador to England (1785-89), and was a respected writer and thinker of his day.  John Adams died on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was also the same day Thomas Jefferson died.
Thomas Jefferson:   (1743-1826)   Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America, was a law graduate of the College of William & Mary.  He studied law under George With.  Later, after several years of law practice, he was elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia.  He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence,  which is the foundation of our great country today.  Jefferson was a great believer in people's rights, but he owned slaves throughout his entire life.  Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, which more than doubled the size of the United States.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.:   (1841-1935)    Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and fought for the Union during the Civil War.  Holmes was seriously wounded three times during that war.  He was on the Massachusetts Supreme Court (1882-1902) and the United States Supreme Court (1902-1932).  Holmes was known as the "Great Dissenter" while on the U.S. Supreme Court, and his dissenting opinions were clear and to the point.   He retired from the bench at age 91.
Clarence Darrow:  (1857-1938)     Clarence Darrow was from Ohio, and the son of a furniture maker.  In 1925, at the height of the Scopes Trial, he was a famous defense lawyer. The John Scopes Trial was the only trial that Clarence Darrow ever volunteered his services.  Darrow gave up corporate law at 37 and had a long list of clients who were murderers, communists, socialists, and anarchists.  He was "a sophisticated attorney with the mannerism of a country lawyer."
Williams Jennings Bryan:   (1860-1925)    William Jennings Bryan was from Salem, Illinois, and was elected to the House of Representatives after practicing law.  Bryan ran for the office of President twice in 1900 and 1908.  He lost both times.  One of his most famous cases was the "Scopes Case" or the "monkey trial" in 1925, at which he spoke for the prosecution at the trial on anti-evolution. 
Thurgood Marshall:   (1908-1993)   Judge Marshall was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended segregated schools.  He graduated from Lincoln University, and received his law degree from Howard University.  Thurgood Marshall did much to bring down Jim Crow Laws, laws sanctioning racial discrimination, throughout the country.  He was the first African American to present a case to the United States Supreme Court, the case was Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.  In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the United States Supreme Court and he was approved by the U.S. Senate.  This made Thurgood Marshall the first African American to hold this position.
Sandra Day O'Connor:     (1930-   )  Sandra Day O'Connor was born in Texas and received her law degree from Stanford University in 1952.  She had a difficult time being hired by established law firms, so she began a private practice out of school.  Miss O'Connor was elected to the county superior court (1974-1979), and later appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals (1979-1981).  President Ronald Reagan selected her to become the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.  She was approved and still holds this position today.
Janet Reno:  (1938- )  Janet Reno was born in Miami, Florida, graduated from Cornell University, and attended Harvard Law School.  She was appointed Miami's State Attorney General in 1973, was reelected five times to this position and was known as a tough enforcer of child support laws.  Ms Reno is the most powerful attorney in the country.  She was appointed to this position by President Clinton in 1993 and still holds the position today.  Ms. Reno can investigate any person or corporation where she believes there to be an injustice.  Under her leadership, her office has investigated President Clinton, as well as Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation. 
Hillary Rodham Clinton:   (1947- )  Mrs. Clinton was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and graduated from Wesley College (1969) and Yale University Law School, which is where she met Bill Clinton.  She became widely known as a strong supporter of women's and children's rights.  The National Law Review named her as one of the most powerful 100 lawyers in the country in 1991.  This was before the country heard of her famous husband, President Bill Clinton.  Mrs. Clinton bought a house in the state of New York and will be running for a U.S. Senate seat there this fall. 

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Famous Cases
First Known Legal Decision 1850 BC: This was a criminal case that put a woman and three men on trial for killing her husband.  All three men were found guilty and put to death for their crime.  The woman's life was spared, but she had to leave their community.
The Trial of Socrates  339 BC:     Famous philosopher Socrates was put on trial for corrupting the youth of his day when he was 70.  He was accused of telling young people not to believe in the gods and of promoting "conscience".  He was tried and sentence to death, but his death simply increased interest in his teachings.
The Trial of Scotsman William Wallace 1306 BC:   This trial took place in the Middle Ages.  Wallace was put on trial for murder, robbery and "treason to King and country".  He was not allowed to speak in his defense and was found guilty on all charges.  The recent movie, "Braveheart", was made after his life story. 
The Trial of Sir Thomas More  1535:   Thomas More was appointed the Bishop of Canterbury during the reign of King Henry VIII.  In 1534, King Henry declared himself the Supreme Ruler of the World, bar none, not even the Pope.  Sir Thomas More would not acknowledge this oath to the King.  He was later put on trial for not taking this oath, found guilty and was put to death.
The Salem Witch Trials  1692  AD:     These trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, where several women were accused of practicing witchcraft to worship the devil.  Over 300 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were put to death, including a priest.   The extreme punishments for these crimes turned many people away from the prosecution of witchcraft.  The trials stopped and no one since has been tried on these charges. 
The Trial of Aaron Burr 1804  AD:     While Aaron Burr was Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, he challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel.  During this duel, Hamilton was fatally wounded and Burr was charged with murder.  Burr fled west and was accused of organizing an army to conquer western U.S. territories. 
The Linbergh Trial  1935  AD:   This was a trial about the kidnapping of the 20 month old baby boy of Charles Linbergh.  This trial was called "The Trial of the Century" and became the first media circus event of that time.  The trial was held in Flemington, New Jersey  more than 5,000 people showed up for the case, which was double the population of Flemington at the time.  Congress passed a law making kidnapping a federal crime after this abduction.  Richard Hampton, a Bronx carpenter, was on trial for 32 days and found guilty.  He was put to death in the electric chair on April 2, 1936.
The Trial of Nuremberg  1945  AD:  This trial took place right after World War II  in October of 1945.  The four major allied powers put 24 men on trial for the horrible events that took place during the war.  War crimes are crimes against humanity.

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