Judicial Branch & Supreme Court History
Law, politics, and culture evolve with the times. These stories show why.
Marbury v. Madison and the Federalist Legacy
1803 case established principle of judicial reviewChief Justice John Marshall issued famous ruling Quite a bit can happen during an outgoing president's lame duck period—those days between th...
FDR and the Court Packing Scandal
FDR filled Supreme Court vacancy with liberal Alabaman who had been a member of Ku Klux KlanNomination unfolded in midst of "court-packing" controversyPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt had every reas...
The My Lai Massacre Courts-Martial
1968 massacre at My Lai, Vietnam, led to controversial courts-martial of US soldiersWhat laws apply to warfare? How can they be enforced? A nation's rules of warfare—what are they? How are th...