Throughout its existence the Federal District Court of Nebraska has echoed the dynamics of its time, reflecting the concerns, interests, and passions of the people who have made this state their home. Echo of Its Time explores the court's development, from its inception in 1867 through 1933, tracing the careers of its first four judges: Elmer Dundy, William Munger, Thomas Munger (no relation), and Joseph Woodrough, whose rulings addressed an array of issues and controversies echoing macro-level developments within the state, nation, and world. Echo of Its Time both informs and entertains while using the court's operations as a unique and accessible prism through which to explore broader themes in the history of the state and the nation.
The book explores the inner workings of the court through Thomas Munger's personal correspondence, as well as the court's origins and growing influence under the direction of its legendary first judge, Elmer Dundy. Dundy handled many notable and controversial matters and made significant decisions in the field of Native American law, including Standing Bear v. Crook and Elk v. Wilkins. From the turn of the century through 1933 the court's docket reflected the dramatic and rapid changes in state, regional, and national dynamics, including labor disputes and violence, political corruption and Progressive Era reform efforts, conflicts between cattle ranchers and homesteaders, wartime sedition and "slacker" prosecutions, criminal enterprises, and the endless battles between government agents and bootleggers during Prohibition.
Throughout its existence the Federal District Court of Nebraska has echoed the dynamics of its time, reflecting the concerns, interests, and passions of the people who have made this state their home. Echo of Its Time explores the court's development, from its inception in 1867 through 1933, tracing the careers of its first four judges: Elmer Dundy, William Munger, Thomas Munger (no relation), and Joseph Woodrough, whose rulings addressed an array of issues and controversies echoing macro-level developments within the state, nation, and world. Echo of Its Time both informs and entertains while using the court's operations as a unique and accessible prism through which to explore broader themes in the history of the state and the nation.
The book explores the inner workings of the court through Thomas Munger's personal correspondence, as well as the court's origins and growing influence under the direction of its legendary first judge, Elmer Dundy. Dundy handled many notable and controversial matters and made significant decisions in the field of Native American law, including Standing Bear v. Crook and Elk v. Wilkins. From the turn of the century through 1933 the court's docket reflected the dramatic and rapid changes in state, regional, and national dynamics, including labor disputes and violence, political corruption and Progressive Era reform efforts, conflicts between cattle ranchers and homesteaders, wartime sedition and "slacker" prosecutions, criminal enterprises, and the endless battles between government agents and bootleggers during Prohibition.
John R. Wunder is a professor emeritus of history at
the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is the author or editor of
numerous books, including The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854
(Nebraska, 2008) and Native American
Sovereignty. Mark R. Scherer is a professor of
history at the University of Nebraska Omaha. He is the author of
Rights in the Balance: Free Press, Fair Trial, and Nebraska Press
Association v. Stuart and Imperfect Victories: The Legal Tenacity
of the Omaha Tribe, 1945–1995 (Nebraska, 1999).
“Echo of Its Time makes an important contribution to the sometimes
clouded working of the federal courts. Because much Great Plains
legal history has focused on the nineteenth century, this book is
especially welcome, delving as it does into the often neglected
twentieth century. I have taught Nebraska history for almost twenty
years but I still learned a great deal about the state’s federal
judges and the types of cases that ended up in federal court.”—Mark
R. Ellis, professor of history at the University of Nebraska
Kearney and author of Law and Order in Buffalo Bill’s Country:
Legal Culture and Community on the Great Plains, 1867–1910
“Echo of Its Time is an excellent title for a book which shows how
the judges of the Federal District Court of Nebraska addressed
major issues as the Great Plains frontier jurisdiction evolved
into an early twentieth-century rural-urban Midwestern society. . .
. Wunder and Scherer have done an excellent job in showing us how
our courts, their judges, and other officers are at the heart of
the American experience.”—Harl Dalstrom, professor of history
emeritus at the University of Nebraska Omaha
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