Fifty Years of Justice

A History of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

James M. Denham

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9780813059297
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The verdicts have made headlines, but little is known about the inner workings of the court in which they were delivered. In Fifty Years of Justice, James Denham presents the fascinating history of the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida from its founding in 1962 to the present. Readers will discover the intricacies of rulings, the criminal defendants and civil litigants, and the dedicated officials—the unsung heroes—who keep the justice system running day to day. From desegregation to discrimination, espionage to the environment, trafficking to terrorism, and a host of cases in between, litigation in these courtrooms has shaped and shaken both state and nation.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. From the Southern to the U.S. Middle District of Florida, 1950s–1962
• 2. The U.S. Middle District of Florida, First Years, 1962–1968
• 3. The Middle District and Civil Rights, 1962–1968
• 4. Adjudicating Equality Continues: The Middle District and School Desegregation, 1968–1976
• 5. The Middle District and the War on Crime, 1968–1976
• 6. Growing Pains, Constitutional Questions, and Bankruptcy, 1976–1980
• 7. A New Era Begins: The Reagan Years, 1980–1988
• 8. Drugs, Drugs, and More Drugs, 1980–1988
• 9. Mad Dogs, Spies, and International Weapons Dealers
• 10. Income Tax Evasion, the Death Penalty, the Environment, the AIDS Epidemic, Desegregation, and Voting and Employment Discrimination, 1980–1988
• 11. New Judges, New Challenges, 1988–1992
• 12. The Court Expands and Confronts Antigovernment Activity, 1992–2000
• 13. Bankruptcy in the Middle District, 1984–2000
• 14. First Amendment, Abortion Rights, Employment Discrimination, and School Desegregation Litigation Runs Its Course, 1992–2000
• 15. Drugs, Outlaws, Fraud, Pollution, Endangered Species, and a Baby Named Sabrina
• 16. “It’s a Tidal Wave … and I’m Not Kidding about It!”
• 17. Into the New Century, 2000–2004
• 18. Contesting Sentencing Guidelines, the Patriot Act, Terrorism, and Cases Involving International Questions
• 19. Constitutional Questions of the Twenty-First-Century Court
• 20. Income Tax Evasion, Medicare Fraud, Organized Crime, Environmental Disputes, and Bankruptcy
• 21. Closing Arguments and Taking Stock: Fifty Years of Justice
• Appendix: Judicial Officers, Middle District of Florida
• Abbreviations
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index