Taft, Tumey v. Ohio, and Judicial Misconduct
When we face a judge and jury, we assume that we get a fair trial. It’s paramount to the American system. And one way to ensure this has been a fair judiciary. In United...
Category: My Democratic Faith
William Penn, Short Cuts, and DACA
Justice William O. Douglas wrote that King Charles II adopted severe measures against noncomformists. One of those acts was the Conventicle Act of 1664. This forbade “conventicles” or religious assemblies of more than 5...
Lexington Begins to Take Down Confederate Statues
In the past week, the city council of Lexington has had two votes to relocate the monuments to Confederate leaders in the town center. After calling and emailing my city councilwoman, she reassured me...
Charlottesville – Become a Superhero
I read a lot of comic books. In total, I have over 10,000 single issues that I have collected for twenty years. I purchased my first comics in July 1997 – Superman 127 and...
How Do You Determine the Place of Trial?
My Country – Place of Trial In 1644, Roger Macguire, who lived in Ireland, was charged with high treason. England had charged that he levied war against the King, which killed many Protestants. And...
Governor John Peter Altgeld and the Haymarket Square Riot
My Country – John Peter Altgeld On June 26, 1893, Governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned three men convicted in the Haymarket Square bombings. Chicago Labor Movement In 1886, Chicago suffered from poor working conditions....
Poor Laws in America: 1930s Edition
My Country – Poor Laws Justice Douglas spends today’s entry examining a North Dakota Supreme Court case regarding Roy Hulm. Roy Hulm lived in South Dakota with his wife and ten children. However, Hulm...
James Sommersett and Quock Walker
My Country – James Sommersett Charles Stewart of Boston, Massachusetts, owned James Sommersett. Stewart brought Somerset when he returned to England in 1769. But in 1771, Somerset escaped and Stewart directed that he be sold to...
Thomas Jefferson and Free Speech
My Country – Thomas Jefferson and Free Speech On June 13, 1779, Thomas Jefferson wrote an article of faith on free speech. [T]he opinions of men are not the object of civil government, nor...
