1969-09-24: Chicago Conspiracy Trial

Was this event conspicuously missing from anyone else’s history textbook?

The federal judge assigned to the case was Julius Hoffman (no relation to Abbie – who, along with Jerry, would (un)affectionately nickname him “Julie”) – a particularly conservative seventy-four-year-old Republican millionaire with investments in the defense industry. Judge Hoffman set the scene for the circus that would follow by restricting the defendants’ questions during jury selection – particularly those relating to the Vietnam War – and attempting to jail four lawyers for contempt because they withdrew from the case before the trial begin.

The defendants, meanwhile, recognized that the trial presented a golden opportunity to publicize their views. Their strategy was to offend and disrupt proceedings so that any obtained conviction would not stand on appeal, and – against the backdrop of Judge Hoffman’s obstinate and obvious bias – they (particularly Abbie and Jerry) employed guerilla theatre-like tactics to maximum effect.

- 24th September 1969 – the Chicago Conspiracy Trial Begins
On This Deity
2009-09-24

via Dangerous Minds

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 at 02:09:05 and is filed under News.

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