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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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 5
- 7 min
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 29
- 5 min
"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 22
- 6 min
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 15
- 5 min
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...
2 views0 comments
Victoria L. Nadel
- Jul 8
- 8 min
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 1
- 6 min
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 24
- 7 min
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 17
- 8 min
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 10
- 6 min
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 3
- 6 min
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...
6 views0 comments
Victoria L. Nadel
- May 27
- 5 min
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 6
- 6 min
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 29
- 6 min
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 15
- 6 min
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 10
- 6 min
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 1
- 10 min
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 25
- 6 min
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...
4 views0 comments
Victoria L. Nadel
- Mar 18
- 10 min
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...
8 views0 comments
Victoria L. Nadel
- Mar 11
- 6 min
Pressed to Death
Freedom of the press is essential to democracy – it is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and it is a...
5 views0 comments
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