Weighty Decisions
It probably wouldn’t happen today. At least not like it happened then. Of course, today people are falsely accused of crimes all the...
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THE CHARGE | BLOG
The Charge is a blog that talks about the intersection of history and law. Please feel free to read, leave nice comments about how much you love it, share with your friends, colleagues, and people you don't even like who might appreciate it.
Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 196 min read
Get Them Good And Proper
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has admitted its part in the wrongful convictions of Nicola Sacco and Bartelomeo Vanzetti. In 1977,...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 57 min read
Defending the Indigent
Getting a law degree is expensive. Some who enter the law profession are paid very well. Most, however, are middle class. Here in...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 295 min read
"Fashion is the Armor to Survive the Reality of Everyday Life" - Bill Cunningham
On August 1, 1942, Jose Diaz died near Sleepy Lagoon in Los Angeles County, California. The autopsy indicated that he was inebriated; he...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 226 min read
Turning Point
Jefferson Davis had just promoted General John Bell Hood and Hood was eager to defend Atlanta and fight. General Grant had confidence in...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 155 min read
We Do Not Condone Political Violence; Also, This Does Not Change Anything
During the presidential campaign in 1972, third party “Dixiecrat” candidate George Wallace ran to Richard Nixon’s right. Arthur Bremer...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 88 min read
If Presidents are Immune Then Aren’t Vice Presidents, Too? And Yet…
So, I hate to break it to the Court – who gets a lot of things wrong – they got this one really, really wrong. Some of you may recall...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 16 min read
185 Years Since Mutiny on the Amistad
The story of Joseph Cinque’s courageous mutiny on the schooner Amistad has been often told. He was unlawfully kidnapped from his home in...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jun 247 min read
Confrontational
Last week the Court decided Smith v. Arizona, Docket No. 22-89 holding that forensic expert reports are "testimonial" and that the...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jun 178 min read
Lawyers Matter: A Cautionary Tale
We often say that the Sixth Amendment, specifically the part that says , “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jun 106 min read
Prohibition's Long Tail: Brinegar Turns 75
The tempestuous 13 years of Prohibition saw a rise in crime, a rise in federal prosecution of crime, and the erosion of individual...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Jun 36 min read
When Voter Fraud Was Real
Conspiracies to affect the outcome of elections is not a new thing. Shortly after the Civil War, which - to clarify - was a war in which...
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Victoria L. Nadel
May 275 min read
100 Years Ago, Leopold and Loeb Killed Bobby Franks
1924 Chicago was no stranger to crime. The year started with Jenny Plarr being shot to death by two intoxicated police officers. Then,...
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Victoria L. Nadel
May 66 min read
Innocence Is Irrelevant: 20th Anniversary Edition
It was such a straightforward and simple case. Everyone agreed about the mistake. In 1997, Michael Wayne Haley stole a calculator from a...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Apr 296 min read
Where Are We With Criminal Forfeiture? Two Recent Cases.
Both the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts recently interpreted statutes related to...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Apr 156 min read
Pay Your Taxes: A Cautionary Tale
For most of the country, it’s Tax Day. It’s not Tax Day in Massachusetts because we are special, so we have until Wednesday at midnight...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Apr 106 min read
Does Remand Mean Retry?
You get convicted of murder, a life felony, at trial (boo!) You take your case on appeal (which, in Massachusetts skips the intermediary...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Apr 110 min read
There Oughta Be A Law
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts must take further review and overturn Commonwealth v. Martinez, 2024 WL 1335265 (March 29,...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Mar 256 min read
By The Seat of One's Pants
It’s hard to imagine it now, but fifty years ago, lots and lots of Americans were deeply offended by people wearing images of the United...
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Victoria L. Nadel
Mar 1810 min read
Eats, Shoots and Leaves - SCOTUS Edition
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?" asks the confused...
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