Justice History

On the morning of July 2, 2012, in the most dangerous warzone in the world, Lieutenant Clint Lorance took command of his small band of American paratroopers at the spearhead of the American War in Afghanistan. Intelligence reports that morning warned of a Taliban ambush against Lorance’s platoon. Fifteen minutes into their patrol, three military-age Afghan males crowded on a motorcycle and sped aggressively down a Taliban-controlled dirt road toward Lorance’s men.

Nathaniel Lot: Survivor from a shattered Earth. Wielder of a powerful - and terrible - weapon. Once a hero, now an aging mercenary, drinking his life away. But when the daughter of two old friends asks for his help to destroy a murderous wizard and warlord, he can’t say no. Kathryn Herrera: She grew up hearing tales of her parents’ heroic deeds, but she never expected a dark sorcerer to destroy her life. Now she only lives for revenge, and will stop at nothing to destroy the man known as the Warlock. The Outlands: A place where castaways from a thousand worlds struggle to survive....

On September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, was bombed, killing four young girls. Who were the perpetrators? Due to reluctant witnesses and racial prejudice, the FBI closed the case without any indictments. But as Martin Luther King, Jr., claimed, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Bending Toward Justice is a detailed account of this key moment in our national struggle for equality and the long road to prosecuting those responsible for the tragedy, related by an author who played a major role in the investigation.

No Justice is the harrowing story of Robbie Tolan, who early on one New Year's Eve morning, found himself being rushed to the hospital. A White police officer had shot him in the chest after mistakenly accusing him of stealing his own car...while in his own driveway.

Contracts and the Legal Odyssey: Unraveling the Interplay of Power, Ideology, and Justice delves into the historical development of the legal system with a particular focus on the increasing emphasis on contracts. The exploration is rooted in a deep understanding of how legal ideologies, the interests of socioeconomic elites, and societal norms have shaped the legal landscape.

The Westside Slugger is the powerful story of civil rights in Las Vegas and Nevada through the eyes and experience of Joe Neal, a history-making state lawmaker in Nevada. Neal rose from humble beginnings in Mound, Louisiana, during the Great Depression to become the first African American to serve in the Nevada State Senate. Pushing through racial and civil rights hurdles and becoming a lifelong advocate for social justice, his dedication and determination are powerful reminders to always fight the good fight and never stop swinging.

In The Ajax Dilemma, Paul Woodruff examines one of today's most pressing moral issues: how to distribute rewards and public recognition without damaging the social fabric. How should we honor those whose behavior and achievement is essential to our overall success? Is it fair or right to lavish rewards on the superstar at the expense of the hardworking rank-and-file? How do we distinguish an impartial fairness from what is truly just?

Unit 731 was established during the Sino-Japanese War in Harbin as a covert biological warfare research and development section of the Imperial Japanese Army. Besides human experimentation, they developed lethal biological weapons as an efficient way to win the war against the world. In about a decade of existence, they produced a massive amount of germs enough to kill the world three times. 

If you have questions about U.S. civics, law, and justice but don’t want to wade through dry and dull legalese to get the answers, you will love this down-to-earth collection of essays that provide an insider’s view of the legal system. In Civics, Law, and Justice - How We Became U.S., career trial lawyer and judge J. Layne Smith offers crystal-clear insight and straightforward answers to everything you’ve ever wondered about the art and science of justice in American history and society.

How Free Speech Saved Democracy is a revealing reminder that First Amendment rights have often been curtailed in efforts to block progress, and that current measures to reduce hurtful language and to end hate speech could backfire on those who promote them.

The first Chief Justice of the United States, John Jay faced many unique challenges. When the stability and success of the new nation were far from certain, a body of federalized American law had to be created from scratch.

A history of lynch mob activity and violent vigilante actions that occurred in Robertson County, Tennessee, from the Civil War period and well into the 20th century. 

For the last 60 years, fear has seeped into every area of American life: Americans own more guns than citizens of any other country, sequester themselves in gated communities, and retreat from public spaces. And yet, crime rates have plummeted, making life in America safer than ever. Why, then, are Americans so afraid - and where does this fear lead to? In this remarkable work of social history, May demonstrates how our obsession with security has made citizens fear each other and distrust the government, making America less safe and less democratic.

In Vigilantes and Lynch Mobs, Arellano closely examines such narratives as well as the work of western historian and archivist Hubert Howe Bancroft, who was sympathetic to them and that of Ida B. Wells, who wrote in fierce opposition to lynching. Tracing the creation, maintenance, and circulation of dominant, alternative, and oppositional vigilante stories from the 19th century frontier through the Jim Crow South, she casts new light on the role of narrative in creating a knowable past.

In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina, culminated in four days of violence and skirmishes between white vigilantes and black residents. The turmoil resulted in two deaths, six injuries, more than $500,000 in damage, and the firebombing of a white-owned store before the National Guard restored uneasy peace. Despite glaring irregularities in the subsequent trial, 10 young persons were convicted of arson and conspiracy and then sentenced to a total of 282 years in prison.

Most people on death row think they actually die at their public execution, and some do - but most are just given a strong sedative that simulates dying. Then they are taken to a place known as The Farm, a top-secret government facility. No one knows this better than Ajax Saber, a former vigilante killer who was sentenced to death in 2017. After suffering - willingly - through a year of Compliance Training, Ajax was given the unique, but controversial opportunity to work for a mysterious life-form called the Higher Up - a powerful alien who has the US government under his control.

Based on real events perpetrated by real people, Who Murdered Mary? is a gripping tale of shortsighted decisions, heartless animal cruelty, and needless murder of an innocent circus elephant that was aided and abetted by mob rule and officials of a prosperous railroad. The tale unfolded during three tumultuous days in September 1916 in the peaceful but ill-fated towns of Kingsport, Johnson City, and Erwin, Tennessee.

From award winning criminologist R. Barri Flowers and the best-selling author of The Sex Slave Murders 1 & 2, Serial Killer Couples, and Murder of the Banker's Daughter comes Murder Chronicles, a gripping collection of true crime tales. Includes ten compelling stories of murder, madness, and mayhem that span nearly a century of American history and homicidal criminality that will keep you reading from beginning to end, while staying with long after.

The fifth volume of the Jefferson series completes the story of his presidency, carrying him through his troubled second term, but also to the end of an official career that spanned some 40 years. Here is a vibrant account of Jefferson's disparate activities: sponsoring the Lewis and Clark Expedition, concluding the naval "war" with the Barbary pirates, engaging in a political duel with Chief Justice Marshall over the trial of Aaron Burr, and more.

Over centuries and around the world, there is a long history of ruthless people who have wreaked havoc to get what they want. Whether empire-building or simply displaying a cruel streak, is there any excuse for the actions of people who have been responsible for the deaths of so many? Find out in these sixteen biographies of men and women throughout history who have left there deadly mark on history. From Attila the Hun and Vlad the Impaler to Adolf Hitler, listeners will learn the wicked origins of the world's most dangerous people.