... and justice for all

"... and justice for all" by William M. Kunstler is a collection of legal case studies written in the mid-20th century. It examines how fear, prejudice, and politics can distort American justice, reinterpreting high-profile trials of radicals, racial minorities, and dissenters to probe the limits of due process and jury fairness.

The opening of the book presents Roger N. Baldwin’s introduction stressing how community hostility can overwhelm due process, followed by a preface in which the author states his aim: to show, through ten emblematic cases, how “who you are” can outweigh “what you did.” The first chapter reconstructs the Lincoln assassination aftermath and the military commission trial of Mary Surratt, highlighting key witnesses, the defense’s failed challenge to jurisdiction, a climate primed for conviction, and her execution despite contested evidence. The second chapter sketches the Leo Frank case from Mary Phagan’s death through shifting suspicion (from a Black watchman to Jim Conley), conflicting timelines, rampant antisemitism, conviction and failed appeals, and a commutation that ended in lynching. The third chapter begins the Tom Mooney story with the 1916 San Francisco Preparedness Day bombing, showing sloppy evidence handling, an eager prosecution backed by business interests, and early grand-jury testimony placing suspects at the scene.