November 30

Legal History

By Karen Conti

Karen Conti is a litigation partner at Beermann. She is a regular legal commentator on the local Fox affiliate, CNN and truTV. She appears every Sunday from 8 to 9 p.m. on WGN-AM 720 to discuss current legal events and to answer listeners’ questions.

Posted November 30, 2015 2:50 PM

1804U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial accused of political bias. He was later acquitted by the U.S. Senate. Chase, who was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence, was accused of allowing his partisan leanings to affect his court decisions. The acquittal of Chase set an unofficial precedent that many historians say helped ensure the future independence of the judiciary.1993President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady Bill. The bill required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and …

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