MetaFilter posts tagged with trial

The House on Garibaldi Street

reenum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:35:26 -0800

The capture of Adolf Eichmann is one of the more daring spy operations in the post WWII era. The story spans 17 years, beginning with Eichmann's clandestine escape from the Allied forces and the Nuremberg trial, and ending with his hanging in Israel. After WWII, Eichmann was able to escape the Nuremberg trials and the subsequent efforts of Nazi hunters in Europe. He worked as a farmer for 5 years, before he was able to gain passage to Argentina with the help of an organization that helped ex-Nazis defect to South America. However, Nazi hunters like Simon Wiesenthal never forgot about Eichmann and the crimes he had committed. After years of chasing false leads, the Mossad finally found Eichmann and assembled a team to capture him. This team included Rafi Eitan and Peter Malkin. The team followed Eichmann and planned his capture, which ended with the Israelis smuggling a drugged Eichmann aboard an El-Al plane and making two transcontinental flights that pushed the plane's limits. The operation caused embarrassment for some of the world's superpowers. But, the trial went on nonetheless. Subsequent generations have studied this capture and the impact it had on the world as a whole. You can find repositories of Eichmann related documents here, here, here and here.

About time.

orrnyereg — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:30:31 -0800

Samuel Kent is the first judge to be impeached by the House in 20 years. Last Friday, Judge Samuel B. Kent, formerly of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, was impeached by the US House of Representatives. The proceedings took less than 30 minutes. Kent plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges relating to an investigation into sexual harrassment claims by court employees. Last year he was indicted on three federal counts of abusive sexual contact and attempted aggravated sexual abuse. He was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and has reported to the Devens Federal Medical Center in Ayers, MA. He announced his resignation effective in 2010, allowing him to keep his $174,00 salary in the interim. If convicted, his salary will be immediately cut off. The Senate expects to convene the trial before its August recess. Reliable scandalmonger Above the Law has extensive coverage. Previously.

To Know Him is To Love Him

orville sash — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:26:58 -0800

Six Years after the murder of Lana Clarkson, Phil Spector has been found guilty. (previously) Known as much for his violent behavior as his incredible productions, Spector was notorious for previously pulling guns on both The Ramones and Leonard Cohen. The first time he was tried it ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn't come to a consensus on his guilt. He will be sentenced on May 29th

a.k.a. the "Spectrial"

tybeet — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:21:53 -0800

Today was Da y 1 of The Pirate Bay trial.

Sunny von Bulow Dies

amyms — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:49:47 -0800

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died this weekend at a nursing home in New York City, nearly 28 years after being found unconscious at her Rhode Island estate (and subsequently falling into an irreversible coma) in December 1980. Her husband Claus, who obviously became a controversial figure, was found guilty of her attempted murder (the alleged method being an overdose of insulin), but his conviction was overturned on appeal and he received a second trial in which he was acquitted. The sensational case, which featured testimony from many notables including Truman Capote, attracted worldwide publicity and rocked high society. It spawned numerous books, television shows and a 1990 movie.

Six Guantanamo prisoners charged.

®@ — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:47:22 -0800

Several prisoners held at Guantanamo are charged, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. According to this soundbite, after their time in military court, they'll be able to appeal the decision in civilian court.

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Muddler — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:01:35 -0800

[Newsfilter]: Fighting a recording industry lawsuit for file sharing saying "it wasn't me!" is probably a really, really bad idea. Jury awards recording companies $222,000 for willfully infringing the copyright on 24 songs in first-to-trial file sharing lawsuit.

St. Rita's Owners found not guilty in Katrina Nursing home deaths

ColdChef — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:13:14 -0800

Salvador and Mabel Mangano, the owners of St. Rita’s nursing home in St. Bernard Parish, where 35 patients drowned in Hurricane Katrina’s flood waters, were found not guilty of negligent homicide and cruelty to the infirm charges tonight by a six-member jury. Read their story and decide for yourself if they're guilty.

Hindu case against 'obscene' Muslim artist fails

Phanx — Tue, 08 May 2007 04:13:24 -0800

Proceedings against MF Husain have been stayed in India's Supreme Court. A painting by the celebrated Muslim artist, apparently depicting Mother India as a nude, led Hindus to bring an obscenity case and proceedings to seize his Mumbai property were initiated. However his lawyers moved swiftly to frustrate the action, transferring the property into his son's name and then seeking the High Court ruling. Hindus have taken offense at previous paintings by Husain, depicting Hindu deities in allegedly obscene ways. Others disagree.

Liveblogging at Scooter Libby Trial

spock — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:44:53 -0800

Liveblogging the Scooter Libby (Plame-outing) Trial. Get your popcorn. This is compelling (and potentially historic) stuff. Firedoglake.com is highly recommended. There is also a lot of knowledge to be found in the comments. Feel somewhat behind and want to catch-up quickly? Some are wondering why this isn't getting more play in the evening news. Perhaps the public isn't clamoring for it? ABCnews, CBS News, NBC/MSNBC News (does this page even work?), FoxNews, and CNN.

Scooter throws Turd Blossom under the bus

ibmcginty — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:23:13 -0800

Politics/PlameFilter: In opening arguments today in the Plame investigation perjury case against Vice President Cheney's former Chief of Staff I. Lewis Libby, the prosecutor portrayed Libby as an agent of a Cheney-driven media offensive. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from Libby's attorney, who portrayed his client as a White House-chosen scapegoat for Karl Rove's misdeeds. A conservative reporter saw in Libby's emerging defense a "dramatic split inside the Bush White House." An MSNBC host asked whether this hullabaloo could lead to Cheney's resignation. Background on the case. Liveblogging of today's arguments from an anti-administration perspective.

Saddam sentenced to death.

Guerilla — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 01:10:11 -0800

Saddam sentenced to death by hanging.

When the President Does It, That Means it is Not Illegal

orthogonality — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:01:22 -0800

"Saddam Hussein after his capture addressed the court with the same challenge that Charles I threw at his judges: ‘By what legal authority do you try me?’" "Therefore, let me know by what authority I am called hither." ...and therein trusted with a limited power to govern by and according to the laws of the land, and not otherwise;... "‘Lex is Rex’, is what they’d said in the ship money case. The king is the law, the king is above the law, and the king can’t be brought to trial." "-- the president is always right, Senator."

Get a Life, Zacarias

wendell — Wed, 03 May 2006 14:54:41 -0800

No Death Sentence for '20th Skyjacker' Moussaoui (he Newsfiltered), and as he was led from the courtroom, the defendant, who had looked for the last few weeks like he was campaigning for martyrdom, clapped his hands and said “America, you lost. I won.” (I had severely underestimated this character's skill at Political Theater) In spite of the final spit-in-the-face-of-the-US, MSNBC.com's Unscientific Instapoll has 51% saying it was the right decision, while CNN.com's Poll says 63%, and Foxnews.com's poll... is about tax cuts. Disclaimer: Yes, I do some writing for the Entertainment section at MSNBC.com, but the News department does not know I exist and doesn't want to. And newssite instapolls are so-o-o Web 1.0, I know, but still, what's with the non-outrage?

Mr. Police Dog, will you find my friends?

banishedimmortal — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:32:15 -0800

You know what? There ain't no doors outta Hell, babe. Before serial killer nurse Charles Cullen was sentenced to 11 life sentences in New Jersey, some of the families of his victims were allowed to read Victim Impact Statements (audio) (videos linked at left) in which they not only told the court about the effect of the murders on their lives, but also told Cullen what they thought of him. While state laws differ, Victim Impact Statements are often allowed to be considered in making sentencing decisions, and sometimes creep into the guilt phase of the trial. The trials of Terry Nichols, Scott Peterson, and Zacarias Moussaoui all included Impact Statements. Some have argued that Impact Statements are needed to properly assess harm and balance mitigating and humanizing evidence allowed on behalf of the defendant. Others call it nothing more than institutionalized revenge. Would you want the chance to say "Burn in Hell" to a person who harmed someone you cared about, or does such talk have no place in the courtroom?

I haven't read the Book of Job yet, but I'm about to...

banishedimmortal — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:56:18 -0800

Andrew Kissel, brother of murdered banker Robert Kissel was himself found murdered in the basement of his Greenwich, CT home yesterday. While the murder trial of Robert Kissel's wife, Nancy, provided a sordid look into the troubled life of an extremely rich Hong Kong expat investment banker, his wife, and her lover, the Andrew Kissel case has yet to unfold. Yet with a Andrew's criminal past, recent divorce, and speculation of a Mafia-style hit, this may turn out to be another interesting story of greed, abuse, and revenge.

CAE on Trial

homunculus — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 14:03:45 -0800

When Taste Politics Meet Terror: The Critical Art Ensemble on Trial. Steve Kurtz was previously discussed here. [Via Disinformation.]

Not guilty.

juliebug — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:09:49 -0800

Not guilty. It's been nearly 20 years since Air India Flight 182 crashed into the ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people aboard, after a bomb went off in the luggage compartment. Today, the two main suspects in the case were acquitted. Families of the victims are upset, disgusted. Of the 329 victims, 82 of them were under the age of 12. Let's take a moment to remember them; victims of one of the worst terrorist acts prior to September 11th, 2001.

Civil Rights

semmi — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:06:34 -0800

Forty years ago, three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman were murdered in Mississippi by KKK members. Edgar Killen, who allegedly engineered the killings, pleads innocent.

Michael Jackson

Saucy Intruder — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 14:11:07 -0800

The Case Against Michael Jackson. The Smoking Gun plays prosecutor in what will surely be one of history's most disturbing public trials. Not safe for lunch.

A Most Curious Murder - the Madeleine Smith Story

plep — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 06:24:29 -0800

A Most Curious Murder - the Madeleine Smith Story. 'Thursday, 9th July 1857 - The atmosphere outside the High Court in Edinburgh was charged to fever pitch as the crowd awaited the verdict at the end of the most sensational trial of the century. Hanging in the balance was the life of Madeleine Smith, attractive 22 year old daughter of a prosperous Glasgow architect ... '
The site includes, amongst other things, this 1787 directory of Glasgow manufacturers and traders.

An online history of jurisprudence, and lack thereof

foxy_hedgehog — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 06:57:11 -0800

Sacco and Vanzetti et al. The amazing Famous Trials website, compiled as a labor of love by University of Missouri law professor Douglas Linder, is a motherlode of information on historically significant trails, ranging from Galileo to the Amistad to Lenny Bruce. It features not only official transcripts, but also equally intriguing details such as a map of the railroad cars in the Scottsboro Boys trial, Klan documents from the Mississippi Burning case, and opinion polls related to the My Lai courts martial.

CIA leak/press on trial

lilboo — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 14:07:27 -0800

Times Reporter Is Held in Contempt in Leak Inquiry

I'm no fan of Judith Miller, but can someone please explain to me why she is on trial (and Robert Novak isn't?)

Saddam Hussein

emc — Fri, 02 Jul 2004 01:27:46 -0800

Saddam Hussein. After his defiant appearance in court, is it impossible for him to face a fair trial? Does anyone feel he deserves one after his actions?

Here comes the Judge

thatothrgirl — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:59:04 -0800

The justice system at work. A sitting Judge in Oklahoma has been removed from the bench for using a male enhancement pump, pleasuring himself and oiling his nether regions during court proceedings - including an August 2003 murder trial. At least he was awake during the proceedings, unlike other judges.