In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

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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

  1. The McMartin Preschool Scandal Changed How We Investigate Child Abuse

    JAN 21

    The McMartin Preschool Scandal Changed How We Investigate Child Abuse

    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 mass panic. Join us as we explore the events, the fallout, and the lessons learned from one of America’s most controversial trials.   SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Frank Pira as Police Chief Lee Rawles as Kee MacFarlane Ken Sutherland as 9th Circuit Appeals Conrad Saam as Professor Douglas Linder Doreen Wiley as Attorney Lael Rubin Jon Enge as Attorney Dean Richard Gits Evan Dicharry as Attorney J. Daniel Davis Gyi Tsakalakis as Dr. Michael Maloney Georgia Well as Peggy Buckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  2. Dingo or Deception? Unpacking the Lindy Chamberlain Trial That Gripped Australia

    12/17/2024

    Dingo or Deception? Unpacking the Lindy Chamberlain Trial That Gripped Australia

    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 courtroom drama to the role of societal bias, discover the heartbreaking story that captivated the world and changed the justice system forever. Join us as we analyze pivotal testimony, scientific debates, and the final vindication years later, as well as the lessons this case teaches about humanity, justice, and media influence. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Ramona Van Rensburg as Lindy Chamberlain Ron Sharp as Ian Barker Amy Allen as Sally Lowe Kira Mead as The High Court Deb Foster as Joy Kuhl Guy Dow-Sainter as John Phillips Trevor Murphy as Dr. James Cameron George Zaj as Prof. Barry Boettcher Adam Dunning as Michael Chamberlain Col Mooney as Justice Trevor Morling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  3. Evolution vs. Creationism; How the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial Gained Nationwide Attention

    11/19/2024

    Evolution vs. Creationism; How the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial Gained Nationwide Attention

    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 brimmed with heated exchanges, each argument pushing the boundaries between faith and reason. Witness how Darrow’s razor-sharp cross-examination exposed deep questions about literalism and learning, creating ripples that reverberated far beyond the courtroom.  Though Scopes was found guilty, the trial carved out a legacy of debate that echoes in America’s dialogue on education and freedom to this day LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram! Purchase the e-book. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Kevin McGrath as Judge Raulston Ken Sutherland as Rev. Cartwright Scott Well as Clarence Darrow Jon Enge as Rev. J.P. Massingill Darren Aitken as Attorney Malone Troy Starr as Atty General Stewart Jud Pierce as Superintendent White Daniel Singer as William Jennings Bryan Evan Dicharry as The Appeals Court Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  4. The Chicago Black Sox Trial: How 8 Players Went From the Dugout to the Courtroom

    10/15/2024

    The Chicago Black Sox Trial: How 8 Players Went From the Dugout to the Courtroom

    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 and radio broadcasters with flowery descriptions of the trial as if itself was a baseball game, and even New York mob boss Arnold Rothstein, who was alleged (but never proven …) to be the impetus of the scandal. Unfortunately, the Black Sox trial transcripts were lost long ago, requiring modern-day historians to rely on newspaper reports of trial testimony, which sometimes were sensationalized for their readers and at other times were directly contrary to one another. From this reality, admittedly many of the facts about the scandal we examine in this episode are (true to this show’s title) In Dispute. LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book.    SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Todd Berger as Eddie Cicotte Brandon Harpold as Shoeless Joe Jackson  Adam Lockwood as Carl Victor Little Alan Chudnow as “Sleepy Bill” Burns Chad Trudeau as James “Ropes” O’Brien Dennis Kennedy as David Zelzer  Tom Mighell as Al Spink Jim Brady as Commissioner Landis  Lily Spader as Newspaper Journalist #1 Nathan Todhunter as Newspaper Journalist #2 Thomas Wolfe as Radio Broadcaster #1 Cari Lockwood as Radio Broadcaster #2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  5. The Wild West in Court: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday’s Fight for Freedom After the O.K. Corral

    09/17/2024

    The Wild West in Court: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday’s Fight for Freedom After the O.K. Corral

    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: Were the Clantons and McLaurys cattle thieves deserving of their death? Why was Doc Holliday, a gambler and notorious gunslinger, deputized by Virgil Earp? Why did the coroner’s inquest not issue a verdict? And this 1880s criminal trial asked the original Star Wars question: who really fired first? LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book.  SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: David Woodham as Wyatt Earp Scott Well as Wesley Fuller Jeremy Brown as Ike Clanton Ken Sutherland as Prosecutor Lyttleton Price J.D. Freedman as Defense Attorney Tom Fitch Jamie Duarte as Sheriff Johnny Behan Hon. Franz E. Miller, ret. as H.F. Sills Wylie Aitken as Judge Spicer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  6. Why Abolitionist John Brown Became the First American To Be Executed for Treason

    08/20/2024

    Why Abolitionist John Brown Became the First American To Be Executed for Treason

    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 controversial figure. LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book.  SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Troy Starr as John Brown Doug Bryson as Court Reporter John Doe as John Allstadt Evan Dicharry as Albert Grist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  7. Why John Adams Defended the British Soldiers During the Boston Massacre Trials

    07/16/2024

    Why John Adams Defended the British Soldiers During the Boston Massacre Trials

    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 the Boston Massacre, what actually went down, the aftermath of the tragedy, and the surprising takeaway trial lawyers should have after hearing John Adams’ closing arguments, Attorney J. Craig Williams invites you to bundle up and relive the astounding altercation that’s still talked about to this day.  LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book.  Purchase the hardcover.   SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Scott Well as John Adams Alan Chudnow as Samuel Quincy Skyler C. as Josiah Quincy Alan Parsons as Captain Thomas Preston Robert Mattson as Samuel Adams Dan Ring as Daniel Calef Patrick Correia as Richard Palmes Kate Kenney Nutting as the female witness Neil Harvey as the British Soldier Brian Driesen as Benjamin Lee Andrew Clark as Thomas Handaside Peck Robert "Terry" Terelak as Ebenerzer Bridgham Jud Pierce as Dr. John Jeffries Christopher Rogers as John Hogdson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min
  8. Salem Witch Trials: How The Hysteria Went Terribly Awry

    06/18/2024

    Salem Witch Trials: How The Hysteria Went Terribly Awry

    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. More than a dozen poor decisions and questionable verdicts later, townspeople became all too familiar with death sentences by hanging. Hear the full story unravel with voiceover reenactments, historical context and present-day reflection from Attorney J. Craig Williams.  LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book.  Purchase the hardcover. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Troy Starr as John Hathorne Doreen Wiley as Sarah Good Kevin McGrath as Cotton Mather Dave Scriven-Young as Stephen Sewell Evan Dicharry as Judge Georgia Well as Bridgett Bishop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min

  9. 06/14/2024 · BONUS

    First Look at In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

    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 backstage pass to hear legal analysis and modern-day reflections from Seasoned Attorney J. Craig Williams. Get ready to dive into the trials of the Salem witches, Chicago Black Sox, OJ Simpson, McMartin preschool childcare providers, and more! LINKS: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Spotify Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the e-book Purchase the hardcover SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS: Meghan Steenburgh as News Reporter Daniel Rover Singer as William Jennings Bryan Scott Well as Clarence Darrow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    7 min

  10. TRAILER

    The Official Trailer for In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

    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 reflections from Seasoned Attorney J. Craig Williams. Get ready to dive into the trials of the Salem witches, Chicago Black Sox, OJ Simpson, McMartin preschool childcare providers, and more! LINKS: Sign up for our newsletter so that you’re the first to know when new episodes drop! Listen to J. Craig Williams’ other podcast, Lawyer 2 Lawyer. Tell us what you’re looking forward to the most for this show on LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram!  Purchase the hardcover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 min

Trailer

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3 Ratings

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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.

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