"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box."
Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird
Arguably the most famous Michigan Supreme Court Justice was known under an assumed name. John Voelker, who sat on the court from 1957 to 1959, wrote under the pen name Robert Traver, and as such is responsible for one of the greatest courtroom dramas ever filmed, Anatomy of a Murder. The cover story in this month's issue of the ABA Journal includes Voelker a/k/a Traver's hero Paul Biegler as one of its "25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers (Who Are Not Atticus Finch)". Cast your vote for Biegler (who is currently losing to loveable loser Vinny Gambini of My Cousin Vinny) at the ABA Journal's website. And be sure to learn more about the fascinating man behind this character via our website or from the John D. Voelker Foundation.
If you are looking for other page-turners, check out the Verdict of History, Michigan's story of this state's legal heritage. The Verdict of History profiles 20 of the most significant opinions written by the Michigan Supreme Court from the 1860 frontier murder trial of Pond v People to the 1994 case of Jack Kevorkian. The Verdict of History project is online with links to additional material including the original court opinions (and, in the case of Sherwood v Walker, bovine-inspired poetry) at http://www.micourthistory.org/verdict_history_cases.php. Hard copies of the Verdict of History are also available by contacting the Society at 517/ 373-7589 or cpickett@micourthistory.org.
Attention middle school and high school history and civics teachers! The Society has developed a lesson plan that accompanies the Verdict of History. The lesson plan includes an overview of Michigan's judicial system, mini-moot court materials, and much more. Contact the Society for ordering information. The Verdict of History lesson plan can be used on its own or in conjunction with two-week lesson plans developed for both the middle school and high school levels. These are available via our website at http://www.micourthistory.org/education.php or by contacting the Society.
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