They Defended Themselves In Court

For most people who find themselves in a court of law, the only sensible option is to hire a lawyer. But throughout United States history, some people have had to provide their own legal defense. Sometimes this approach succeeds. In this episode, we tell the stories of five individuals who defended themselves in court, and won. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:29 Identification Please 03:15 All In The Family 05:09 The Right To An Attorney 07:46 Intermittent Windshield Wipers 09:49 Crazy Lawyers Kill 13:04 Conclusion We start with Edward C. Larson. He is an African American civil rights activist who was stopped and detained by police at least 15 times in the 1970s. California had a law requiring identification, and Edward didn't have identification to show them. He sued the San Diego police department, took the case to the Supreme Court, and eventually won. Sometimes career criminals are able to use their knowledge of the legal system to achieve victory. In the 1980s, Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio was a member of the New Jersey Lucchesse family who was already serving time for drug charges. He and the other members of his crime organization were on trial for federal RICO charges. DiNorscio acted as his own lawyer and was able to charm the jury so effectively that they acquitted all 19 of the defendants. Before 1963, most states did not provide an attorney for people who couldn't afford one. Because of this, Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested and convicted of a crime he didn't commit. He kept fighting and eventually the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Clarence was given a retrial, and was found innocent. In some instances, civil cases also provide an opportunity for self help. Robert William Kearns invented intermittent windshield wipers. Both Ford and Chrysler ignored his patents and put the technology on their vehicles without paying Kearns. He spent years fighting these companies in court and eventually won millions of dollars. The episode ends with the tale of George Remus. Remus started his adult life as the owner of several pharmacies. Then he went to law school, and eventually became famous for creating what's known today as the "temporary insanity" defense. Once alcohol prohibition began, and the Volstead Act went into effect, George Remus bought distilleries and used a legal loophole to produce alcohol legally. But, he had employees hijack shipments and then sold it illegally for a huge profit. After being sent to prison, Remus confided in an inmate who was an undercover agent. That agent began an affair with Remus's wife, Imogene, and the two liquidated all of his assets. When Remus was let out of prison, he shot and killed his wife in broad daylight. George Remus defended himself, and the jury acquitted him because of "temporary insanity". If you enjoyed learning about these interesting historical events, then please like the video and subscribe to our channel for more. You can find us at http://badthingsinhistory.com We are also on reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/badthingsinhistory The following images were used under a creative commons license: Picture of Robert Kearns: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56808844 Picture of George Remus: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35916326 Picture of Jesse Jackson: By AFGE - https://www.flickr.com/photos/afge/10196156245/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38056632 Picture of D**k Gregory: By John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA - D**k Gregory, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75843800

Added 27 Mar 2026