And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Greatest Closing Arguments Protecting Civil Liberties

by Michael S. Lief

The second volume in a must-have trilogy of the best closing arguments in American legal history

Every day, Americans enjoy the freedom to decide what we do with our property, our bodies, our speech, and our votes. However, the rights to these freedoms have not always been guaranteed. Our civil rights have been assured by cases that have produced monumental shifts in America's cultural, political, and legal landscapes.

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down showcases eight of the most exciting closing arguments in civil law -- from the Amistad case, in which John Quincy Adams brought the injustice of slavery to the center stage of American politics, to the Susan B. Anthony decision, which paved the way to success for women's suffrage, to the Larry Flynt trial, in which the porn king became an unlikely champion for freedom of speech. By providing historical and biographical details, as well as the closing arguments themselves, Lief and Caldwell give readers the background necessary to fully understand these important cases, bringing them vividly to life.

Genres: Law, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sawsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

from the right to die, to sterilization, to forced slavery, this book basically provides the historic and modern context for a few land-mark civil rights cases and the closing arguments defending those liberties. i would definitely recommend this book to law students, but generally to anyone who has a passion for justice....

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an amazing book. Cases that I had heard of but never realized how important they really are.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wish i could say that, as a lawyer and a generally good person, i found this book inspiring and enjoyable. sadly, i did not.