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Quay, Matthew Stanley

(Encyclopedia) Quay, Matthew StanleyQuay, Matthew Stanleykwā [key], 1833–1904, American political leader, b. Dillsburg, Pa. He studied law in Pittsburgh and was admitted (1854) to the bar. He fought…

obscenity

(Encyclopedia) obscenity, in law, anything that tends to corrupt public morals by its indecency. The moral concepts that the term connotes vary from time to time and from place to place. In the…

Spillane, Mickey

(Encyclopedia) Spillane, Mickey (Frank Morrison Spillane), 1918–2006, American mystery writer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. After contributing stories to comic books and pulp magazines, Spillane wrote his first…

fugitive slave laws

(Encyclopedia) fugitive slave laws, in U.S. history, the federal acts of 1793 and 1850 providing for the return between states of escaped black slaves. Similar laws existing in both North and South…

ordeal

(Encyclopedia) ordeal, ancient legal custom whereby an accused person was required to perform a test, the outcome of which decided the person's guilt or innocence. By an ordeal, appeal was made to…

Sverdrup, Johan

(Encyclopedia) Sverdrup, JohanSverdrup, Johanyōhänˈ [key]Sverdrup, Johan svĕrˈdr&oobreve;p [key], 1816–92, Norwegian prime minister. As a member of the Storting (1851–84) and as prime minister (…

Scroggs, Sir William

(Encyclopedia) Scroggs, Sir William, 1623?–1683, English jurist. Educated at Oxford and trained in law at Gray's Inn, he became (1669) a king's sergeant, was made (1676) justice in common pleas…

Grisham, John

(Encyclopedia) Grisham, John, 1955–, American novelist and lawyer, b. Jonesboro, Ark., B.S. Mississippi State Univ., 1977, J.D. Univ. of Mississippi School of Law, 1981. He practiced law for nearly a…

Mapplethorpe, Robert

(Encyclopedia) Mapplethorpe, RobertMapplethorpe, Robertmāˈpəlthôrpˌ [key], 1946–89, American photographer, b. New York City. He is known for his elegantly expressive black-and-white studies of male…

Capone, Al

(Encyclopedia) Capone, Al (Alfonso or Alphonse Capone)Capone, Alkəpōnˈ [key], 1899–1947, American gangster, b. Naples, Italy. Brought up in New York City, he became connected with organized crime and…