Trial of the century

Trial of the century is an idiomatic phrase used to describe certain well-known court cases, especially of the 19th, 20th and 21st century. It is often used popularly as a rhetorical device to attach importance to a trial and as such is not an objective observation but is the opinion of whoever uses it. As attorney F. Lee Bailey and The Washington Post observed in 1999:

Calling court cases "the trial of the century" is a traditional bit of American hyperbole, like calling a circus "The Greatest Show on Earth." Nearly every juicy tabloid trial in our history was called the "trial of the century" by somebody. "Every time I turn around, there's a new trial of the century," says defense attorney F. Lee Bailey. "It's a kind of hype," he says. "It's a way of saying, 'This is really fabulous. It's really sensational.' But it doesn't really mean anything."[1]

For the album, see The Trial of the Century.

In 1907, Harry K. Thaw was tried for the murder of Stanford White.[1] Irvin S. Cobb, a contemporary reporter, explained why the trial fascinated the country so much:

You see, it had in it wealth, degeneracy, rich old wasters, delectable young chorus girls and adolescent artists' models; the behind-the-scenes of Theatredom and the Underworld, and the Great White Way ... the abnormal pastimes and weird orgies of overly aesthetic artists and jaded debauchees. In the cast of the motley show were Bowery toughs, Harlem gangsters, Tenderloin panderers, Broadway leading men, Fifth Avenue clubmen, Wall Street manipulators, uptown voluptuaries and downtown thugs.[1]

List of cases

There are countless trials that have been labeled "the trial of the century" by the press; it is beyond the scope of this article to list them here. However, some legal scholars have labeled a few trials as "trials of the century". These cases are useful in this context for listing some of the most important trials, which include:


19th century

20th century

21st century

See also

References
  1. "(The Last) Trial of the Century!" by Peter Carlson via The Washington Post, January 4, 1999; Page C01
  2. "Trial of the Century". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 Feb 2020.
  3. F. Uelmen, Gerald (July 2001). "Who Is the Lawyer of the Century?" (PDF). International Society of Barristers Quarterly. Ann Arbor, Michigan: International Society of Barristers. 36 (3): 413, 435–437. ISSN 0020-8752. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  4. Davis, John (2004). Sacco and Vanzetti: Rebel Lives. p. 1. ISBN 1-876175-85-0. Within a year it was going to become the 'trial of the century.'
  5. Noe, Denise. "Fatty Arbuckle and the Death of Virginia Rappe". crimelibrary.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  6. DOUGLAS O. LINDER. "THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB TRIAL: A BRIEF ACCOUNT" Archived 2007-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, Law Faculty, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1997. "..the Leopold and Loeb trial has the elements to justify its billing as the first "trial of the century."
  7. Doug Linder (1999-01-28). "Trial of the Century?". Law.umkc.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  8. Harold Schechter, "The Hall-Mills Murder Trial, 1926" Yale Review, Yale University
  9. "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy Transcript". PBS. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  10. "Gloria Vanderbilt Custody Trial: 1934 – "trial Of The Century"". Law.jrank.org. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  11. Doug Linder. "An Account of the Trial of Richard Hauptmann". Law.umkc.edu. Archived from the original on 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  12. Ph.D, Frankie Y. Bailey; Ph.D, Steven Chermak (2007-10-30). Crimes and Trials of the Century [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 167. ISBN 9781573569736.
  13. Kanon, Joseph (June 9, 2002). "The Real Trial of the Century". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  14. Michael P. Scharf; Gregory S. McNeal (2006). "Saddam on Trial: Understanding and Debating the Iraqi High Tribunal 229". Case Western Reserve University. Archived from the original on October 26, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  15. Dershowitz, Alan M. (2004). America on Trial: Inside the Legal Battles That Transformed Our Nation. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9780759511033. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  16. Geis, Gilbert; Bienen, Leigh B. (2016). Crimes Of The Century: From Leopold and Loeb to Menendez Brothers. Northeastern University Press. p. 128. ISBN 9781555538682. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  17. Radosh, Ronald; Klehr, Harvey; Haynes, John Earl; Hornblum, Allen M.; Usdin, Steven (October 17, 2014). "The New York Times Gets Greenglass Wrong". Weekly Standard. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  18. "Sheppard Tragedy Goes On and On". Beatrice Daily Sun. February 18, 1963. p. 2. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  19. "Protesting and the Chicago Seven". 1970 Year in Review. UPI. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  20. "Vol. 61, No. 8, August, 1975 of American Bar Association Journal on JSTOR". JSTOR i25727270. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. Hagood, Dick (February 10, 1980). "Bundy Jury: Death" Florida Times Union archive Archived June 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Archived June 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  22. Nemy, Enid (30 May 2019). "Claus von Bülow Dies at 92; Society Figure in High-Profile Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  23. "After the riots; A Juror Describes the Ordeal of Deliberations". The New York Times. May 6, 1992. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  24. Carlson, Peter (4 January 1999). "Washingtonpost.com Special Report: Clinton Accused". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  25. New York Times, Philippines Ex-President Convicted
  26. "People's Daily Online – Saddam Hussein to face "trial of the century"". English.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  27. Ventre, Michael. "O.J. case will pale in comparison to Jackson trial". Today.com. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  28. "Ampatuan brothers convicted in 10-year massacre case". Rappler. December 19, 2019.
  29. Cloud, John (16 June 2011). "How the Casey Anthony Murder Case Became the Social-Media Trial of the Century". Time. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  30. "Dr. Conrad Murray Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter of Michael Jackson". Fox News. November 7, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  31. Hilary Whiteman (August 23, 2013). "Bo Xilai trial analysis: How and why Chinese politician veered off script". CNN. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  32. Alexander, Harriet (2 February 2019). "'El Chapo' Guzman facing life as lawyers offer extraordinary capitulation in 'trial of the century'". The Telegraph.
  33. "AP Explains: Catalans appear at 'trial of century' in Spain". Associated Press. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  34. "Protests and tight security as Catalan separatists face hefty jail terms in Spain's 'trial of the century'". The Independent. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  35. "Steve Bannon on impeachment: It'd be the trial of the century". FOX Business.
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