(Encyclopedia) Merryman, ex parte, case decided in 1861 by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney sitting as a federal circuit judge in Baltimore. John Merryman, a citizen of Maryland, was imprisoned by the U.…
(Encyclopedia) Murphy, Frank, 1890–1949, American political figure, associate justice of the Supreme Court (1940–49), b. Harbor Beach, Mich. After serving as a U.S. attorney (1919–20) and as a judge…
(Encyclopedia) Tracy, Benjamin Franklin, 1830–1915, American lawyer, cabinet member, and soldier, b. Owego, N.Y. He was admitted to the bar in 1851 and later served (1853–59) as district attorney of…
(Encyclopedia) DeborahDeborahdĕbˈōrə [key], in the Bible, prophetess and judge of Israel, the only woman to hold that office. Under her guidance Barak conquered Sisera and delivered Israel from the…
(Encyclopedia) Delany, Martin RobinsonDelany, Martin Robinsondəlāˈnē [key], 1812–85, American black leader, b. Charles Town, Va. (now in West Virginia). The son of free blacks, he attended a black…
(Encyclopedia) probateprobateprōˈbāt [key], in law, the certification by a court that a will is valid. Probate, which is governed by various statutes in the several states of the United States, is…
(Encyclopedia) Hooks, Benjamin Lawson, 1925–2010, African-American civil-rights leader, b. Memphis, Tenn. In 1972 President Nixon named Hooks, a lawyer, Baptist minister, and former Tennessee county…
(Encyclopedia) Dyer, EliphaletDyer, Eliphaletəlĭfˈəlĭtˌ [key], 1721–1807, American jurist, b. Windham, Conn. After serving in the state legislature for several years, Dyer took part in the French and…
(Encyclopedia) Harlan, John Marshall, 1899–1971, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1955–71), b. Chicago; grandson of John Marshall Harlan. He received his law degree from New York Law…
(Encyclopedia) Heathcote, CalebHeathcote, Calebhēthˈkōt [key], 1666–1721, merchant and public official in colonial New York, b. England. He arrived in New York in 1692. He became a member of the…
