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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.
Seems Like Yesterday
There are definite trends in cases reviewed by the highest courts. Fifty years ago, there were a ton of obscenity cases. One hundred...
Victoria L. Nadel
Oct 23, 20235 min read
Ill Gotten Gains
The Supreme Court of the United States views the privilege against forced self-incrimination – commonly referred to as the right to...
Victoria L. Nadel
Oct 16, 20235 min read
"Columbus" means Dove and "Roger" means Spear - Irony for the Holiday
In a way, the reimagining of Columbus Day into Indigenous People’s Day is a fitting memorial for Roger Williams. An English-born...
Victoria L. Nadel
Oct 9, 20234 min read
Good Counsel
Imagine that a horrendous crime occurs not far from where you live where several members of a family are murdered in cold blood on New...
Victoria L. Nadel
Oct 2, 20237 min read
Cut on a Bias
During the Summer of Love, when people were turning on, tuning in, and dropping out, Congress grew concerned about riots (okay, in...
Victoria L. Nadel
Sep 25, 20235 min read
The More Things Change - Insurrection Edition
Several states, including Massachusetts, are grappling with interpreting Sec. 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. That is the one that says...
Victoria L. Nadel
Sep 18, 20235 min read
Oh Georgia - no peace I find
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and...
Victoria L. Nadel
Sep 11, 20236 min read
Labor Pains
Organized labor has been a driving force in the American economy for well over a century. The labor movement has early bona fides right...
Victoria L. Nadel
Sep 4, 20234 min read
From Pillar to POST
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission recently released data regarding officers who have faced...
Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 28, 20236 min read
Teach Your Children
The week of August 21 has significance in American history – it marks the anniversary of the arrival of perhaps the first enslaved...
Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 21, 20235 min read
Artful Dodger
With fewer than 300,000 men enlisted in the Army, the United States declared war on Germany in April, 1917. Recognizing this shortfall of...
Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 14, 20234 min read
Please continue...
Massachusetts prides itself on being a land of firsts – we claim the first free public school, first library, first abolitionist...
Victoria L. Nadel
Aug 7, 20234 min read
The Fourteenth Amendment Turns 155 - What Have We Learned?
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of...
Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 30, 20235 min read
THE CHARGE
Welcome to The Charge. The word “charge” has many definitions: it is the offense criminal defendants face, the instruction given to the...
Victoria L. Nadel
Jul 25, 20232 min read
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