The Artful Jurist

Over the course of 2002-2005, I researched and wrote a play, titled The Judicial Murder of Mrs. Surratt, in which I dramatized the trial of Mary Surratt, a woman implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the first woman judicially executed by the United States government.  Performances of the play always spark a lot of questions about the legal issues involved.  Those issues include not only the question of whether or not she was actually guilty but, also, the question of whether the military tribunal that heard the case was a legally valid venue in which to conduct the trial of civilians.

Robert Redford's new film, The Conspirator, delves into the same historical story (although, unlike my play, the film focuses its attention more on Mrs. Surratt's defense lawyer than on Mrs. Surratt, herself).  And the film again raises these same now-146-year-old legal issues -- issues that continue to be debated today.

The film prompted a California public radio station to do a story about both the history and the legal issues.  It includes an interview with yours truly.  You can hear the story, as well as additional audio from reporter Kitty Felde's interviews, on the Southern California Public Radio website.