Course Description

We all remember the names — Sacco & Vanzetti, Leopold & Loeb, Leo Frank, Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, the Scopes Monkey Trial, the Chicago Seven, the Manson family and more — but how much do we really know about some of the most famous criminal trials of the twentieth century?    This class will explore the history of jury trials in America in the context of many of the so-called “trials of the century,” spectacles that captured the public’s attention and shaped the future, for better or worse, of our criminal justice system.  The evolving role and influence of the media in covering these trials will also be examined.

Bio: Jeff is an attorney who served as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Georgia for nineteen years before his retirement in 2017.  He also served as Vice President and General Counsel of Kennesaw State University in 2018-19.  Jeff graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and received his law degree from the Emory University School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Emory Law Journal.  Jeff is an avid photography enthusiast and enjoys world travel.