Famous Trials
by Douglas O. Linder (2017) / UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY (UMKC) SCHOOL OF LAW


Trial of Socrates
(399 B.C.)

Gaius Verres
Trial (70 B.C.)


Trial of Jesus 
(30 A. D.)

Martin Luther
Trial (1521)

Trials of  Giordano
Bruno (1592-1600)
Burr Conspiracy
Trial (1807)

  "Scottsboro Boys"
 Trials (1931-1937)





John Hinckley, Jr.
 Trial (1982)


LAPD (King  Beating)
 Trial (1992)


Ruby Ridge 
(Weaver) Trial (1993)


Okla City Bombing
Trial (1997)


Moussaoui (9/11)
Trial (2006)

Enron (Lay & Skilling)
Trial (2006)


Other Famous
Trials


Coming in 2017: A new, improved "Famous Trials."
“Famous Trials” first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.96% of all websites.    In 2016, the site seems to be showing its age.  So Famous Trials 2.0 (thanks to my great support team) will debut in 2017 with a cleaner look, additional video and audio clips, revised trial accounts, and new features that should improve navigation around the site.  The url for new home page is: www.famous-trials.com.  For the foreseeable future, this old homepage will remain up and provide links to materials at the new site.

Welcome to Famous Trials, the Web’s largest and most visited collection of original essays, trial transcripts and exhibits, maps, images, and other materials relating to the greatest trials in world history. 

What is a Famous Trial?

You will not find every trial deserving of being called “famous” on this site. If the famous trial you were hoping to find is not included, click on the “Other Famous Trials” link for information about additional famous trials.  Decisions as to which trials to include on Famous Trials were entirely mine and inevitably reflect my interests and biases.

What criteria guided my choices?  Many trials might be called famous.  Each century, at least several dozen trials are heralded by someone as “the trial of the century.”  Quite a few trials create a huge buzz in the months following verdict, but then slip quickly—and, in many cases, justifiably—from the public’s mind. 

I’d point to two benchmarks that most guided my decision to include a particular trial.  First, the trial must.... [CONTINUED]

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The materials included in the Famous Trials website are original works of authorship, government records, works for which copyright protection has expired, works reprinted with permission, or works that I believe are within the fair use protection of the copyright laws. If any author objects to the use of any work appearing in these pages, please contact me by e-mail and I will remove the work and review the propriety of including it.* This is an educational and non-commercial site maintained at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. Doug Linder, Professor of Law (Seminar in Famous Trials).(c) 1995-2014.
*Note with respect to photographs and copyright