A Judgment for Solomon: The D'Hauteville Case and Legal Experience in Antebellum America - Paperback

by Michael Grossberg (Author), Christopher Tomlins (Editor), Arthur F. McEvoy (Editor)

A Judgment for Solomon tells the story of the d'Hauteville case, a controversial child custody battle fought in 1840. It uses the story of one couple's bitter fight over their son to explore some timebound and timeless features of American legal culture. This eagerly followed trial sparked a national debate over the legal rights and duties of mothers and fathers, husbands and wives. The d'Hauteville case explains why popular trials become "precedents of legal experience"-- mediums for debates about highly contested social issues. It also demonstrates the ability of individual women and men to contribute to legal change by turning to the law to fight for what they want.

Back Jacket

From the witchcraft trials of the 1690s to the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson trials of the 1990s, highly publicized court cases have both reflected and shaped changes in American society. In this volume, Michael Grossberg examines the d'Hautevellie child custody battle of 1840 to explore some time bound and timeless features of American legal culture.