Top Lawyers & Their Famous Cases

Gr 6-10-Emert profiles eight notable American lawyers from the colonial period to the present. Each chapter includes biographical information and emphasizes an outstanding legal case. The book starts with Alexander Hamilton's skillful defense of freedom of the press that influenced the passage of the First Amendment and concludes with Morris Dees's successful civil suit against the Ku Klux Klan that forced it to be financially accountable for the violent actions of its members. In between, readers learn how Abraham Lincoln's years of legal experience helped prepare him for the presidency and the conflicts of the Civil War, discover why Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson's role as prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials was the most enduring work of his life, and find out how Joseph Welsh used television to expose the exploitative tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Bella Lockwood, the lone woman, is portrayed as an outspoken advocate of women's rights and a brilliant attorney who helped the Cherokee nation collect their long-standing monetary claim against the U.S. government. The author writes with clarity and admiration, showing how these individuals played a critical role in interpreting the laws of the United States and the Constitution. Over 50 good-quality archival photos appear throughout. A suitable resource for reports as well as a good choice for general reading.-Judith L. Miller, formerly at Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, IN