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          HomeAbout the FJCStatuteThe FJC and What It DoesAnnual ReportsBoard MembersSenior StaffJob VacanciesContact UsResearch About the CourtsReports & StudiesManuals, Monographs & GuidesResearch ProjectsCardone Recommendation StudyFederal Rules MaterialsFederal Court Cases: FJC Integrated Database (IDB)Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990OverviewDocumentsPublicationsLegislationSpecial Topics1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction: A Resource for JudgesOverviewRecent CasesSources of Law and InterpretationCase CommentariesSample OrdersArticles and CommentaryFAQsVideo TutorialsChecklistCovid-19 and the Federal Judiciary: Research ResourcesOverviewMaps and DashboardsResearch ReportsTopical WebpagesElection LitigationOverviewCase Studies in Emergency Election LitigationLitigation SubjectsRegistration ProceduresNullifying RegistrationsDistrict LinesFilling VacanciesGetting on the BallotRecall ElectionsBallot MeasuresCampaign ActivitiesElection DatesAbsentee and Early VotingVoter IdentificationPoll HoursVoting ProceduresPolling Place ActivitiesProvisional BallotsVoting IrregularitiesRecountsInteractive Map of Emergency Election CasesFJC Publications on Election LitigationElection Law BibliographyCovid-19Federal and State Court CooperationOverviewTopics for Cooperation Between State and Federal CourtsReducing BiasWhat Is Bias and How Is It Measured?Effectiveness of Implicit Bias TrainingsReducing Bias ReferencesBankruptcy EducationState–Federal Judicial CouncilsExamples of State–Federal Court CooperationSample FormsAdditional ResourcesIllustrative Forms of Class Action NoticesOverviewSecurities NoticesProducts Liability NoticesEmployment Discrimination NoticesNotice Checklist and Plain Language GuideNotes for Use by Attorneys and JudgesOverview of MethodologyDetailed Discussion of MethodologyAcknowledgmentsManaging Capital CasesOverviewManaging Federal Death Penalty TrialsIntroductionResource Guide, Volume IOrders and FormsFederal Death Penalty Resource Counsel AssistanceManaging Habeas Corpus Review of Capital ConvictionsResource Guide, Volume IICapital Defense Network AssistanceAdditional ResourcesNational Security CasesOverviewPublicationsSelected Orders and Other Case DocumentsRelated FJC ResourcesForeign Intelligence Surveillance CourtRules of Practice and ProcedureOverviewVideo TutorialsGuidesResearch ReportsPrint PublicationsOnline-Only Research ReportsScience ResourcesOverviewFingerprint IdentificationNeuroscienceOpioids CrisisDNA TechnologiesWater and the LawTechnology in LitigationOverviewPublicationsThird-Party Litigation FinancingOverviewPublications and ReportsLocal Rules and FormsState LawsIndustry StandardsEducation for the CourtsEducation ProgramsPrograms and Resources for JudgesPrograms and Resources for Court AttorneysPrograms and Resources for Federal DefendersPrograms and Resources for ExecutivesPrograms and Resources for Supervisors and ManagersPrograms and Resources for Experienced Probation and Pretrial Services OfficersPrograms and Resources for All Court EmployeesPrograms and Resources for TrainersCivic Education About the CourtsTalking Points on Judicial HistoryFamous Federal TrialsState and Federal CourtsInside the Federal CourtsManuals, Monographs, & GuidesVideos & PodcastsHistory of the Federal JudiciaryJudgesBiographical Directory of Article III Federal JudgesBankruptcy JudgeshipsMagistrate JudgeshipsDiversity on the BenchJudicial SalariesUnsuccessful Nominations and Recess AppointmentsImpeachments of Federal JudgesJudgeship ReassignmentsCourtsSupreme Court of the United StatesU.S. Courts of AppealsU.S. District CourtsU.S. Circuit Courts, 1789-1911Other Federal CourtsCourts: A Brief OverviewWork of the CourtsCaseloadsThe Contempt Power of the Federal CourtsJurisdictionThe Role of the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the Federal JudiciaryRulesJudicial BranchAdministrative BodiesCongress and the CourtsExecutive Branch and the CourtsCourt Officers and StaffFederal Judicial CircuitsTalking Points on Federal Judicial HistoryCourthousesGalleryDetailed ListList by StateCasesCases that Shaped the Federal CourtsFamous Federal TrialsExhibitsTimelinesGraphs: DemographicsGraphs: CaseloadsMapsNotable Federal TrialsSnapshots of Federal Judicial History, 1790-1990Spotlight on Judicial HistoryThe Justices' Circuit Court OpinionsFor Further StudyCourt History ProgramsGuide to ResearchJudges' Published PapersOral History ResourcesPublished Court HistoriesScholarship on JudgesInternational OfficeAbout IOHistoryInternational ProgramsGlobal ReachBriefing MaterialsTranslated MaterialsContact UsPublications Catalog You are here HomeHistory of the Federal Judiciary  Famous Federal Trials *U.S. v. Lyon, U.S. v. Cooper,* and *U.S. v. Callender*: The Sedition Act Trials – The rise of political parties and the threat of war raise questions about the rights of free speech and a free press.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*United States v. Smith* and *United States v. Ogden* – Low politics and high diplomacy meet in the controversial trials of Federalists accused of violating American neutrality in the Age of Revolution.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout*U.S. v. Aaron Burr*: The Treason Trial – John Marshall presides over the treason trial of a former vice president, and the subpoena of President Thomas Jefferson threatens the balance of judicial and executive authority.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*The Amistad*: The Mende Slave Revolt – A group of enslaved Africans, who broke free of their captors, enter a federal court proceeding that will determine whether slave property rights are protected by federal law.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*Ex parte Merryman*: Habeas Corpus During the Civil War – In the opening weeks of the Civil War, the Chief Justice of the United States publicly challenges President Lincoln to protect the civil liberties of a Confederate sympathizer.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*U.S. v. Susan B. Anthony*: The Fight for Women's Suffrage – When the leading advocate of woman suffrage votes in a federal election, a federal court must decide what political rights are protected by the Constitution.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*United States v. Guiteau*: Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America – The first judicial trial of a presidential assassin forces the courts to defend their independence and define the bounds of criminal insanity.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout*Chew Heong v. U.S.*: Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts – A Chinese immigrant's petition to reenter the United States divides a California federal court and forces the Supreme Court to decide if immigrants' rights are protected by the nation's treaties.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*In re Eugene V. Debs*: The Pullman Strike and American Railway Union Boycott – In the depths of an economic depression, government attorneys seek court orders to halt a strike, and labor leaders defend the right of unions to organize and represent the interests of workers.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*U.S. v. Albert B. Fall*: The Teapot Dome Scandal – Corrupt deals for drilling rights in naval oil reserves spark a national scandal and give rise to a host of civil and criminal trials in the federal courts.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout*Olmstead v. U.S.*: The Prohibition Trial of a Seattle Bootlegger – The trial of a well-known bootlegger increases public doubts about the "Noble Experiment" and presents the courts with questions about civil liberties in the age of telecommunications.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*Gobitis v. Minersville School District* and *Barnette v. West Virginia State Board of Education*: The Flag Salute Cases – School children objecting to flag salute laws in the 1930s and 40s challenge and then change the judiciary’s approach to the Constitution’s protection of freedom of conscience.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*U.S. v. Julius Rosenberg*: The Atomic Spy Trial – The trial of three Communists accused of conspiring to spy for the Soviet Union reflects fears of nuclear war, Soviet aggression, and Communist subversion during the Cold War.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout*Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board*: The Desegregation of New Orleans Public Schools – The federal courts' enforcement of the landmark Brown decision provokes a prolonged struggle over state and federal authority.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*U.S. v. Cassius Clay*: Muhammad Ali's Fight against the Vietnam Draft – Boxing legend Muhammad Ali objects to serving in the military in Vietnam, incurring the anger of the American public and risking a five-year prison term for his religious and political beliefs.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout*U.S. v. Dellinger*: The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial – Organizers of demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic Convention are charged with inciting riots, and an unorthodox trial reflects the cultural and political divisions of the era of the Vietnam War.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout | Other Resources*U.S. v. New York Times*: The Pentagon Papers – The publication of secret government documents about the Vietnam War leads to a federal court conflict pitting national security against freedom of the press.
Learn about the Case | PowerPoint Lecture | Student Handout
 Federal Trials and Great Debates in U.S. History Since 2006, the Federal Judicial Center, in partnership with the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, has hosted Federal Trials and Great Debates, an annual summer institute for teachers of history, law, and government. Participants from across the country come to Washington, D.C., each June to meet with federal judges, scholars, and curriculum experts to examine the history of the federal judiciary and to study three historic cases in the federal trial courts. The materials on these cases, while designed for teachers, are valuable resources for all seeking to learn more about the role the federal judiciary has played in our nation’s history. In 2020, the ABA and FJC partnered to hold a two-session virtual series about teaching *Chew Heong v. United States:*Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts and another series about *Gobitis v. Minersville School District* and *Barnette v. West Virginia State Board of Education*: The Flag Salute Cases. For each topic, the first session featured a scholar discussing the cases in their historical context and the second session featured experienced teachers sharing strategies for teaching the cases. Click here to watch recordings of the *Chew Heong* series and here to watch recordings of the Flag Salute series. In 2021, the ABA and FJC created a four-video series on judicial independence. The series featured an overview of the topic and an examination of three key cases by a law professor, a discussion with two federal judges, and an analysis of primary sources by two FJC historians. Click here to watch recordings of the Federal Trials and Great Debates in U.S. History: Judicial Independence series. For more information about Federal Trials and Great Debates, go to the American Bar Association Division for Public Education website.
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