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The Trial of the Chicago 7 still resonates today, considering the deep political divisions that exist in our country. Why is the Trial of the Chicago 7 being brought up today? For example, the judge improperly excluded evidence and testimony and did not disclose to defense counsel his communications with the jury. The Court criticized Judge Hoffman in particular for his demeanor and hostile attitude toward the defendants, as well as substantial errors in how he handled the case. Court of Appeals reversed the convictions. However, Judge Hoffman sentenced all seven defendants – and their attorneys – to jail for more than 170 charges of contempt of court.
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The trial lasted for over four months, with a jury ultimately deciding that five defendants had incited riots but had not conspired to do so. Meanwhile, proceedings were repeatedly disrupted and the defendants purposely antagonized Judge Hoffman. One of the rallies turned violent as protesters broke windows, fought the police, and ran wild in the streets. There were almost daily demonstrations by antiwar activists inside and outside the courtroom. Seale’s dramatic exit from the case was a prelude to what was to come. He was later set apart for a separate trial, leaving seven from the original case: Tom Hayden and Rennie Davis with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin of the Youth International Party David Dellinger of the National Mobilization to End the Vietnam War and Professors Lee Weiner and John Froines. Seale disrupted proceedings almost immediately and was bound to his chair and gagged in the courtroom. Predictably, riots erupted.Įight activists were originally charged with inciting the riots, including Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party. Thousands of police officers, National Guardsmen, and even soldiers met the activists with force. As another illustration of the deep internal strife within the party, Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Richard Daley struck back against the antiwar activists. That set the stage perfectly for the thousands of antiwar protesters that descended upon Chicago for the five-day convention. The Democratic Party was deeply divided over the war. Meanwhile, the Vietnam War was getting worse, and President Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek re-election. The convention took place not long after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. The protests against the Vietnam War that happened at that year’s Democratic National Convention were emblematic of that turmoil. It gives us a revealing look at how Chicago courts handled the case, and what civil rights advocates can be up against in our legal system.Įveryone who was alive in 1968 remembers the decade, and particularly the year, as tumultuous. The Aaron Sorkin film has all the elements of a compelling legal drama: politics, violence, and the civil unrest of the late 1960s. Netflix recently streamed “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” a dramatization of the story of seven antiwar activists who were allegedly behind the riots that took place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.