15 American Court Cases that Captivated the Nation

If there is one truth about the US criminal justice system, it’s that Americans are often fascinated by watching trials unfold. Whether it’s because the case caught our attention due to an outrageous car chase or because the criminals performed some of the most heinous war crimes of all time, there is no question that some infamous trials have captivated the nation.

Daughter of one of the heirs of the famous Vanderbilt fortune, Gloria Vanderbilt was already a celebrity as soon as she was born. After her father’s death, Gloria’s mother turned to heavy drinking and relied on her daughter’s trust fund, prompting Gloria’s aunt, Gertrude Whitney, to 'kidnap' Gloria after accusing her mother of being unfit.

The celebrity status of the people involved captured the nation, and after two months, Gertrude was awarded custody by the court.

In 1920, two Italian immigrants, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco, were arrested on charges of killing two people during a shoe factory robbery in Massachusetts. By all accounts, the case appeared open and shut, as the police found a firearm and ammunition that matched the crime on Sacco, leading to the conviction of both men in 1921. The trial received significant press as both suspects were anarchists.

Introducing legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow to the national stage, the trial of Harry Orchard, aka Albert Horsley, was one of the most widely reported cases during the 20th century. Accused of the 1905 assassination of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg, the media dug in for the trial.

They held onto every word being relayed from reporters inside the courtroom back to their newspapers. Dubbed “the greatest trial of modern times,” Horsley was eventually found guilty.

The world’s most famous pop star, Michael Jackson's trial on charges of child sexual abuse, captured the nation’s attention. Accused of molesting a 13-year-old at his Neverland Ranch, the case spanned four months, with witnesses including actors Macaulay Culkin and Chris Tucker. Jackson was acquitted, but the allegations continued to permanently harm his public life.

Young, rich, and handsome, the Menendez brothers seemingly had it all, which is why the nation was shocked when they were accused of murdering their parents in 1989. Accusations indicated the pair shot their parents and then spent money before being arrested, though the brothers claimed a history of sexual abuse.

Television producers pounced on the case, and Court TV showed every moment of coverage, including the judge declaring a mistrial after a hung jury. The two would eventually be retried in 1996 and found guilty.

In 1925, high school teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act, which made teaching human evolution illegal in a state-funded school. Represented by the ACLU, Scopes was convicted and fined $100, though the verdict was overturned two years later.

Even so, the case showed how deeply resistant the South was to scientific advances, all while the trial, including Clarence Darrow’s famous cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan, was broadcast live on radio and gripped the country.

The death of 14-year-old African American youth Emmett Till and the charges of murder given to Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam captured the nation. It galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.

An all-white jury acquitted both men, who were accused of killing Till after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. The two men would later confess, but the not-guilty verdict outraged the nation, and Till’s open-casket funeral shocked the country as it appeared on the cover of newspapers nationwide.

The case that set the stage for the 1992 Los Angeles Riots was the one involving four LAPD officers who were charged with the excessive beating of Rodney King in 1991, which was caught on videotape.

When the officers were acquitted in 1992, the trial created significant distrust between the Black community and the city of Los Angeles, exposing what many believed to be long-held racial tensions.

Another “trial of the century” label from the US news media, the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., son of rich and famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, captured the nation’s attention.

Taken from his crib, the baby’s disappearance led to a month-long search and a raAuthorities arrested Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who was found guilty and sentenced to death in one of the first trials to use “sound cameras.”

On a night in 1924, Nathan Leopold Jr. and RicharThis was the first case to be labeled a “trial of the century,” and it shocked the public with its dual “thrill” and “kill” aspects. Famous attorney Clarence Darrow was hired to defend them, but both were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

One of the more recent trials, Casey Anthony, was charged with murdering her daughter, Caylee, in 2008, with the trial taking place in 2011. Other charges included child abuse and lying to the police, though the case rested on circumstantial evidence.

The case was a cable news phenomenon, and social media helped keep the captivation going at all hours. Anthony’s acquittal was a jaw-dropping shock that stunned the public.

Capturing the nation as one of the first trials to receive wall-to-wall coverage 24/7, the charge of murder pushed against O.J. Simpson, a globally famous athlete, had the US glued to televisions.

The case exposed what many consider to be deep racial divides in US policing, still, while the Bronco chase that preceded the trial set the stage for the limelight the case would receive. Simpson’s acquittal shocked the nation, with many believing he was unequivocally guilty.

Charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the Chicago Seven were vehemently anti-Vietnam War. All of the defendants were accused and acquitted of conspiracy, as well as charges of crossing state lines with the intent to start a riot.

All of the convictions were overturned on appeal, and the government declined to re-charge each defendant, and none served any time. The trial highlighted the generational and ideological divides in the US at the time.

In the beginning days of the Cold War, many Americans feared Communist spies, leading to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg being accused of working to overthrow the American government. The accusations included passing along information about the atomic bomb, with the trial taking place in New York.

Both were convicted, despite much of the evidence being contested, and the death penalty was an unprecedented response to peacetime activity, although global protests decried the executions.

Following the end of World War II, the Allies determined that a group of influential leaders of the Nazi party would stand trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The defendants included 22 figures, including Rudolf Hess and Hermann Göring, many of whom were accused of orchestrating the Holocaust and the war.

Of the 22 defendants, 12 were sentenced to death, 7 received prison terms, and 3 were acquitted. The goal of the trial was undoubtedly to punish high-ranking Nazis who committed atrocities in one of the first truly global court trials.