In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

Ten famous court cases come to life through reenactment of actual conversations preserved through trial transcripts and court reporters to explore the foundations of our current legal systems.

Episodes

The Trial of Jesus: A Legal Investigation into History’s Greatest Case

March 18, 2025 • 48 mins
Did Jesus have one trial or two? And what really happened in the courtroom, if there was one at all? In this tenth and final episode of season one, we take a lawyer’s approach to one of history’s most debated legal proceedings: the trial of Jesus. With no contemporaneous records and conflicting accounts shaped by religious and cultural biases, the truth remains elusive. Join us as we examine the evidence, explore the mysteries, and...
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O.J. Simpson’s Murder Trial: The Clues That Changed Everything

February 18, 2025 • 49 mins
On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered outside Brown’s Brentwood home, sparking one of the most infamous criminal cases in history. The investigation quickly led to O.J. Simpson, with key evidence including blood at the crime scene and his Rockingham estate. Five days later, his arrest warrant triggered a surreal, slow-speed Bronco chase that captivated millions. With the trial lasting 474 days and ...
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The McMartin Preschool Scandal Changed How We Investigate Child Abuse

January 21, 2025 • 46 mins
The infamous McMartin Preschool trial epitomized the daycare abuse hysteria of the 1980s. What began with unsubstantiated allegations by a mentally ill parent spiraled into a seven-year legal battle, costing $16 million and leaving lives shattered—without a single conviction. Through flawed investigations, suggestive interviews, and sensational claims, the case raised critical questions about justice, credibility, and the power of ...
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Dingo or Deception? Unpacking the Lindy Chamberlain Trial That Gripped Australia

December 17, 2024 • 44 mins
In 1980, a family camping trip to Uluru turned into one of the most infamous trials in Australian history. When Lindy Chamberlain cried out, “A dingo’s got my baby,” few could have imagined the twists that would follow. In this episode, we unpack the investigation, trial, and ultimate exoneration of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, exploring how media frenzy, flawed forensic evidence, and public perception shaped the case. From the c...
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Evolution vs. Creationism; How the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial Gained Nationwide Attention

November 19, 2024 • 49 mins
Dayton, Tennessee, catapulted into the national spotlight in 1925 after a young teacher challenged a state law banning the teaching of evolution, transforming the town into a chaotic carnival of ideas and fervent beliefs.  Re-live the spectacle as Clarence Darrow, a relentless advocate for scientific thought, squared off against William Jennings Bryan, the stalwart defender of religious tradition. Feel the tension as the courthouse...
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The Chicago Black Sox Trial: How 8 Players Went From the Dugout to the Courtroom

October 15, 2024 • 49 mins
The infamous cheating scandal from the 1919 World Series, between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, broke America’s belief in the purity and innocence of baseball. As the story slowly unfolded, it became filled with all the colorful characters you’d expect from 1920s America: baseball players with catchy nicknames, short-tempered gangsters/gamblers immaculately dressed in business pinstripe suits, newspaper reporters a...
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The Wild West in Court: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday’s Fight for Freedom After the O.K. Corral

September 17, 2024 • 45 mins
Thirty shots fired in thirty seconds at the O.K. Corral left three men dead and three more wounded and turned into a month-long trial with some thirty witnesses in late fall 1881. Since then, their legendary gunfight with the Clantons and McLaurys has kept the town of Tombstone, Arizona alive and has been the source of inspiration for many books and films over the years.  125 years later, many questions are still left unanswered: W...
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Why Abolitionist John Brown Became the First American To Be Executed for Treason

August 20, 2024 • 45 mins
Countless historians have debated whether abolitionist John Brown was, as President Lincoln put it, a “misguided fanatic,” or, in the words of Malcolm X, “the only white man worthy of joining his Organization for Afro-American Unity.” Rather than categorize John Brown or define his place in history, our goal with this episode is to examine his trial from a lawyer’s perspective, allowing you to understand how he became such a contro...
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Why John Adams Defended the British Soldiers During the Boston Massacre Trials

July 16, 2024 • 41 mins
When an unruly crowd of angry colonists attacked a small platoon of British soldiers in 1770, five Bostonians were killed and several others wounded. John Adams, a then-34-year-old lawyer who would eventually become the second president of the United States, took on a bold and unpopular defense of the soldiers and orchestrated their trials in a way that defied conventional thinking. To better understand the historical context of th...
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Salem Witch Trials: How The Hysteria Went Terribly Awry

June 18, 2024 • 37 mins
In 1692, claims of satanic rituals, ghosts, and seemingly “afflicted” children stirred puritanical imaginations, deepened by petty rifts between powerful families and rival congregations in Salem Village (now known as Danvers, Massachusetts). In response to the growing number of citizen complaints and imprisonments, Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor William Phips appointed a man with no legal training to preside over the trials. Mo...
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First Look at In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

June 14, 2024 • 8 mins
Enjoy this exclusive first look at the J. Craig Williams' new podcast series 'In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History' coming to Legal Talk Network June 18th. Go beyond the basic historical accounts recapped in law school textbooks and soak in every aspect of the trials with fascinating reenactments of actual conversations preserved through trial transcripts and court reporters. Then, receive an exclusive courtroom backst...
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The Official Trailer for In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

June 11, 2024 • 2 mins
Join us as we take a journey through time to discover the most interesting and impactful court cases in world history. Go beyond the basic historical accounts recapped in law school textbooks and soak in every aspect of the trials with fascinating reenactments of actual conversations preserved through trial transcripts and court reporters. Then, receive an exclusive courtroom backstage pass to hear legal analysis and modern-day ref...
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