Minimum Competence

This Day in Legal History: Timothy McVeigh Convicted On June 2, 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted by a federal jury for his role in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history at the time—the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The attack killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured hundreds more. McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, carried out t...

This Day in Legal History: Trump Guilty on All Counts On this day in legal history, May 30, 2024, President Donald J. Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts in a criminal trial related to a hush money scheme during the 2016 presidential campaign. The case centered on falsified business records used to conceal payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, intended to silence her allegati...

This Day in Legal History:  The Killing of Maximum John On May 29, 1979, U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. was assassinated outside his home in San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed “Maximum John” for his reputation of handing down the harshest possible sentences in drug-related cases, Wood had become a prominent figure in the federal judiciary’s war on narcotics. His assassination marked the first kil...

This Day in Legal History:  Frederic William Maitland Born On this day in legal history, May 28, 1850, Frederic William Maitland was born in London. Maitland would go on to become one of the most influential legal historians of the 19th century, widely regarded as the father of modern English legal history. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, Maitland initially studied moral sciences...

This Day in Legal History:  Schecter Poultry Corp Decided On May 27, 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States , delivering a major blow to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. In a unanimous ruling, the Court struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), a cornerstone of Roosevelt’s economic recovery plan during th...

This Day in Legal History:  Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Ireland On May 23, 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote, marking a historic shift in both national and global legal landscapes. The referendum asked voters whether the Constitution should be amended to allow marriage regardless of sex, and the result was a resounding “Yes,...

This Day in Legal History: Abraham Lincoln, Inventor On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln was awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,469 for an invention designed to lift boats over shoals and other obstacles in shallow waterways. The device involved a system of bellows attached to the hull of a boat, which could be inflated to lift the vessel over obstructions. Lincoln conceived the idea after witnessing firsthan...

This Day in Legal History:  House of Representatives Passes 19th Amendment On this day in legal history, May 21, 1919, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. The amendment stated simply: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of se...

This Day in Legal History: Blue Jeans Patented On May 20, 1873, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Patent No. 139,121 to Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss for an innovation that would revolutionize American workwear and fashion: the use of copper rivets to reinforce the stress points on men's work pants. Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, originally developed the concept after customers compl...

This Day in Legal History: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Ratified  On May 19, 1848, Mexico formally ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, officially bringing an end to the Mexican-American War. Signed earlier that year on February 2, the treaty had already been ratified by the United States, but it required approval from both nations to take effect. With Mexico's ratification, the war that had b...

This Day in Legal History: SCOTUS Upholds CFPB Funding Structure On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major ruling in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Ltd. , upholding the constitutionality of the CFPB’s funding structure. In a 7–2 decision, the Court held that the agency’s funding—drawn from the Federal Reserve and not sub...

This Day in Legal History: Standard Oil Breaks Up On May 15, 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States , finding that Standard Oil had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by engaging in monopolistic practices. The Court unanimously ruled that Standard Oil’s dominance over the oil industry—achieved through aggressive acquisitions, pred...

This Day in Legal History: Arrival of Constitutional Delegates On May 14, 1787, delegates from several states began arriving in Philadelphia for what would become the Constitutional Convention, a pivotal moment in American legal history. Originally convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, the gathering quickly evolved into a full-scale effort to draft a new framework of government. Only a...

This Day in Legal History: Brady v. Maryland On May 13, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brady v. Maryland , fundamentally reshaping criminal procedure and the obligations of prosecutors. The case involved John Brady, who was convicted of murder in Maryland state court. Although he admitted involvement, he claimed he did not commit the actual killing. During the trial, th...

This Day in Legal History: Harry Blackmun Confirmed to SCOTUS On May 12, 1970, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Judge Harry A. Blackmun to the Supreme Court, filling the vacancy left by Justice Abe Fortas. Nominated by President Richard Nixon, Blackmun had previously served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and was considered a moderate, scholarly jurist. His confirmation ma...

This Day in Legal History: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings on Nixon On May 9, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee officially opened its impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon, marking a critical escalation in the fallout from the Watergate scandal. Chaired by Representative Peter Rodino of New Jersey, the committee convened to determine whether Nixon had committed impe...

This Day in Legal History: Petition of Right On May 8, 1628, the English Parliament formally presented the Petition of Right to King Charles I, marking a key moment in the development of constitutional law and the rule of law in England. This pivotal document emerged in response to growing discontent over the king’s use of extrajudicial practices—most notably, the levying of taxes without Parliame...

This Day in Legal History: Salmon P. Chase Dies On May 7, 1873, Salmon P. Chase —former Chief Justice of the United States and one of the most prominent legal minds of his generation—died at the age of 65. Chase was a towering figure in antebellum legal and political life, best known for his ardent antislavery positions and constitutional rigor. A fierce abolitionist, he earned the nickname “Attor...

This Day in Legal History: Civil Rights Act of 1960 On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law, marking a cautious but critical step forward in the long legal battle over voting rights in America. The Act was designed to address the persistent and systemic barriers that prevented African Americans, particularly in the South, from registering to vote...

This Day in Legal History: John T. Scopes Arrested On May 5, 1925, John T. Scopes, a 24-year-old high school science teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was arrested for violating the state's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of human evolution in public schools. His arrest set in motion one of the most famous trials in American history: the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. The case was a deliberate test...

This Day in Legal History: Louisiana Adopts State Constitution, McCarthy Dies, and Birmingham Campaign On May 2, 1939, Louisiana adopted its current state constitution, known as the Louisiana Constitution of 1921, which at the time marked a significant overhaul of state governance. Though originally adopted in 1921, it underwent critical amendments and re-ratification processes culminating on this...

This Day in Legal History: “Law Day” is Born On this day in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation that did more than just slap a new label on the calendar—it attempted to reframe the ideological narrative of the Cold War itself. With Presidential Proclamation 3221, Eisenhower officially designated May 1 as Law Day, a symbolic counterweight to May Day, the international workers...

This Day in Legal History: Louisiana Purchase On this day in legal history, April 30, 1803, the United States signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty with France, dramatically altering the legal and territorial landscape of the country. The treaty, signed in Paris by American envoys Robert Livingston and James Monroe, officially transferred approximately 828,000 square miles of land west of the Missi...

This Day in Legal History: Los Angeles Riots On April 29, 1992, the Los Angeles riots erupted following the acquittal of four LAPD officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King, an African American motorist. The brutal 1991 beating had been captured on video and widely broadcast, leading to public outrage. However, when a largely white jury in suburban Simi Valley found the o...

This Day in Legal History: Mutiny on the Bounty On April 28, 1789, one of the most famous acts of rebellion at sea occurred aboard the HMS Bounty . Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crew members were forcibly set adrift in the Pacific Ocean by mutineers led by Fletcher Christian. The incident exposed deep tensions over leadership, working conditions, and authority in the Royal Navy. British law a...