Minimum Competence

This Day in Legal History: US Naval Blockade of Cuba On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a televised address announcing that the United States would impose a naval “quarantine” on Cuba. This action followed the discovery of Soviet nuclear missile installations on the island, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. The announcement marked the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13...

This Day in Legal History: Abrams v. United States Argued On October 21, 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Abrams v. United States , a seminal case in the development of First Amendment jurisprudence. The case arose during the post–World War I Red Scare, when the government aggressively prosecuted speech perceived as dangerous or subversive. The defendants were Russian immigrants who...

This Day in Legal History: Saturday Night Massacre On October 20, 1973, a pivotal event in American legal and political history unfolded: the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox was fired by Solicitor General Robert Bork at the direct order of President Richard Nixon. Nixon’s decision came after both Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruc...

This Day in Legal History: Al Capone Convicted On October 17, 1931, notorious gangster Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion in federal court, marking a pivotal moment in American legal history. Capone, who had risen to national infamy during Prohibition as the head of a sprawling Chicago crime syndicate, had long evaded prosecution for his violent and illegal enterprises. Despite widespread publ...

This Day in Legal History: Nuremberg Executions On October 16, 1946, ten prominent Nazi war criminals were executed by hanging in the aftermath of the landmark Nuremberg Trials, held to prosecute key figures of the Third Reich for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes against peace. The executions marked the culmination of months of legal proceedings conducted by an international militar...

This Day in Legal History: Clayton Antitrust Act Passed On October 15, 1914, Congress passed the Clayton Antitrust Act, a landmark piece of legislation aimed at strengthening U.S. antitrust law and curbing anti-competitive business practices. The Act was designed to build upon the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which had proven inadequate in addressing certain forms of corporate behavior that unde...

This Day in Legal History: John Marshall Harlan Dies On October 14, 1911, Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan I died, closing the chapter on one of the Court’s most powerful voices of dissent. Appointed in 1877 by President Rutherford B. Hayes, Harlan served for 34 years and left an indelible mark on constitutional law—not through majority opinions, but through unwavering dissents that ofte...

This Day in Legal History: Supreme Court Denies Cert for Rosenbergs On October 13, 1952, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who had been convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage by passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The couple had been sentenced to death in 1951 following a high-profile trial that captivated Cold War-era America....

This Day in Legal History: Spiro Agnew Resigns On October 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned from office after pleading nolo contendere (no contest) to a charge of federal income tax evasion. This marked the first time in U.S. history that a sitting vice president resigned due to criminal charges. Agnew, who had been under investigation for bribery, extortion, and tax fraud from his...

This Day in Legal History: Martial Law Post-Great Chicago Fire On October 9, 1871, in the immediate aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire, the city’s mayor, Roswell B. Mason, declared a form of martial law by handing control of the city to U.S. Army General Philip Sheridan. Though no formal martial law order was issued, Sheridan exercised sweeping authority over Chicago, including the deployment of...

This Day in Legal History: Bruno Hauptmann Indicted On October 8, 1934, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was indicted for the murder of 20-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr., the son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. The case, often referred to as the “Crime of the Century,” began in March 1932 when the child was kidnapped from the Lindbergh home in Hopewell, New Jersey. Despite a ransom being paid, the boy...

This Day in Legal History: SCOTUS Moves to First Street On October 7, 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court officially began hearing cases in its permanent home on First Street NE in Washington, D.C. For nearly 150 years prior, the Court lacked a dedicated building, conducting business in borrowed or shared spaces—including the U.S. Capitol and even a basement chamber. The move to an independent structure...

This Day in Legal History: Anita Hill On October 6, 1991, Anita Hill, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, dramatically shifting the course of his confirmation process. Hill, who had previously worked under Thomas at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleged that Thomas made rep...

What’s a Government Shutdown and Why Are We In One? A government shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass annual spending bills or a stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to keep agencies funded. No funding = no authority to operate = federal workers furloughed, services paused, and chaos for agencies and contractors. The House has passed a CR that would fund the government through November 21, b...

This Day in Legal History: O.J. “Not Guilty” On October 3, 1995, a Los Angeles jury returned one of the most controversial and widely watched criminal verdicts in American history: O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. The trial, which lasted more than eight months, captivated the nation with its blend of celebrity, race,...

This Day in Legal History: Earl Warren Appointed On October 2, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States, setting in motion one of the most transformative periods in Supreme Court history. Warren, who had previously served as Governor of California and was the Republican nominee for Vice President in 1948, was a surprise choice—appoin...

This Day in Legal History: First Governmental Recognition of Same-sex Relationships On October 1, 1989, Denmark became the first country in the world to legally recognize same-sex relationships through its Registered Partnership Act. The law allowed homosexual couples to enter into civil unions that granted nearly all of the same legal protections and responsibilities as marriage, except for adopt...

This Day in Legal History: Woodrow Wilson Supports Women’s Suffrage On September 30, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson took the unprecedented step of addressing the U.S. Senate directly to urge passage of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. The House of Representatives had already approved the amendment earlier that year, but the measure had stalled in the Senate. Wilson’...

This Day in Legal History: John André Convicted On September 29, 1780, Major John André of the British Army was convicted by a Continental Army court martial for his role in a conspiracy with American General Benedict Arnold. André had been captured behind American lines near Tarrytown, New York, carrying incriminating documents that detailed Arnold’s treasonous plan to surrender the key American...

This Day in Legal History: John Jay Commissioned On September 26, 1789, John Jay was commissioned as the first Chief Justice of the United States, marking a foundational moment in the establishment of the American judiciary. Nominated by President George Washington and swiftly confirmed by the Senate, Jay took the helm of the newly formed Supreme Court just one day after the Judiciary Act of 1789...

This Day in Legal History: Sandra Day O’Connor Sworn in to SCOTUS On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, breaking a 191-year gender barrier in the nation’s highest judicial body. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan, O’Connor’s appointment fulfilled a campaign promise to appoint a woman to the Court and was confirmed...

This Day in Legal History: Judiciary Act of 1789 On September 24, 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, formally titled An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States . This foundational statute created the structure of the federal judiciary as we know it today, establishing a three-tiered court system consisting of district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court. A...

This Day in Legal History: Little Rock Nine On September 23, 1957, nine African American students, later known as the Little Rock Nine, were barred from entering Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, despite a federal court order mandating desegregation. This confrontation became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement and a key test of federal authority to enforce the Supreme Court’...

This Day in Legal History: Eight Executed for Witchcraft in Massachusetts On September 22, 1692, eight individuals—six women and two men—were executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, marking the final hangings of the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Among the condemned were Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell. This...

This Day in Legal History: Lord Haw-Haw Sentenced On September 19, 1945, William Joyce—infamously known as “Lord Haw-Haw”—was sentenced to death by a British court for high treason. Joyce had gained notoriety during World War II for broadcasting Nazi propaganda over German radio to British audiences, aiming to demoralize Allied troops and civilians. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the UK...