Post-Trial Appeals
In the Matter of David Dellinger et al. (7th Circuit Court of Appeals 1972)
Court Opinion in the seven defendants’ appeal of their contempt convictions
United States v. Seale (7th Circuit Court of Appeals 1972)
Court Opinion in Bobby Seale’s appeal of his contempt convictions
In Re Dellinger (US District Court, Illinois 1973
Count Opinion in retrial of contempt charges against the seven
In Re Dellinger (7th Circuit Court of Appeals 1974)
Court Opinion in appeal by four defendants of 1973 District Court decision
United States v. Dellinger et al. (7th Circuit Court of Appeals 1973)
Court Opinion in appeal by the defendants convicted of “intent to riot” charges
Post-Trial Lives of Participants
The Trial of the Chicago 7: The Official Transcript contains post-trial biographies of the defendants, the lawyers and the judge. Here are links to additional information about them.
Rennie Davis
Web Site Biography
Foundation for Humanity web site
Dave Dellinger
“The Good Fighter” from Seven Days (2004), a Vermont weekly that Dellinger had edited
John Froines
“’60s Radical Puts Past Behind Him” from the Los Angeles Times (1990)
“From an obscure panel, John Froines made a difference in our lives” from The Sacramento Bee (2013)
Tom Hayden
“Tom Hayden Always Rocked The Boat,” from The American Prospect (2016)
Abbie Hoffman
“Abbie Hoffman: Free at Last” from The Nation (1992)
Abbie and Julius and the Chicago Conspiracy Trial, a 13-minute 2001 video about the two Hoffmans and the interplay between their personalities (including interviews with Tom Foran, John Froines, Richard Schultz and Leonard Weinglass)
Jerry Rubin
“Freedom is Still Rubin’s Motto”from the Los Angeles Times (1992)
Bobby Seale
Web Site Biography
2019 speech at the University of Michigan during Black History month
Lee Weiner
“Lee Weiner: The Revolutionary,” from Generation on Fire: Voices of Protest from the 1960s, An Oral History by Jeff Kisseloff
Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7
Julius Hoffman
“Some off-bench opinions from Judge Julius Hoffman” from Life Magazine (1972)
Abbie and Julius and the Chicago Conspiracy Trial, a 13-minute 2001 video about the two Hoffmans and the interplay between their personalities (including interviews with Tom Foran, John Froines, Richard Schultz and Leonard Weinglass)
William Kunstler
“The Most Hated Lawyer in America” from Vanity Fair (1992)
Excerpt from William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a 2009 video biography of Kunstler by his daughters Emily and Sarah
The Lawyer’s Role, a one-hour dialogue between Mr. Kunstler and host William F. Buckley, Jr., host of Firing Line (1971)
Leonard Weinglass
“My Friend Len Weinglass” from The Nation (2011)
Thomas Foran
Obituary from the Chicago Tribune
Photographs, Courtroom Sketches, Videos and Interviews
- Photograph of the Chicago 7 defendants, Bill Kunstler and Len Weinglass on October 8, 1969, shortly after the trial began
- Post-trial photograph of six of the defendants
- Courtroom drawings by Franklin McMahon, Chicago Tribune courtroom artist
- Selections from interviews conducted during and shortly after the trial with various defendants, several witnesses and the lawyers (3hrs, 45 minutes; audio only)
- The Chicago Conspiracy Trial, a two-part 2005 television documentary about the trial
- Lengthy video interviews with each of the eight defendants, Bill Kunstler and Len Weinglass. These were conducted in 1986 and 1987 by Jeremy Kagan as part of his research for Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (see “Other Movies” below).
Three More Interesting Links
- Introduction to The Tales of Hoffman (Bantam Books 1970) by Dwight Macdonald, the noted New Yorker writer and social critic.
- Confrontation Comes to the Courtroom (1971) by Harry Kalven, Jr., a discussion of the political aspects of the Chicago 7 and Tennessee v. Scopes trials.
- The Chicago Seven: 1960s Radicalism in the Federal Courts by Bruce Ragsdale, a 2008 report on the trial prepared by the Federal Judicial History Office of the Federal Judicial Center.
Other Movies
- Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8, a powerful movie realistically depicting the trial itself from beginning to end, with virtually all dialogue directly from the transcript. Brilliant performances by the actors portraying Bobby Seale, Julius Hoffman, William Kunstler and Thomas Foran. Written and directed by Jeremy Kagan. Originally made for cable TV in 1987 (1 hour, 58 minutes).
Webinars and Zooms
- Webinar Discussing Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7. Among the participants are Rennie Davis, Judy Gumbo (office manager for the defendants during the trial), Troy Garity (Tom Hayden’s son), Michele Dellinger and Natasha Dellinger Singer (Dave Dellinger’s daughters). The webinar, sponsored by the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee (VPCC), took place on October 23, 2020. (2 hours)
- Webinar Discussing Jeremy Kagan’s Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8. Among the participants are Bobby Seale, Lee Weiner, Corrinna Fales (an unindicted co-conspirator) and Stuart Ball (then a legal assistant to Len Weinglass during the trial). The webinar, also sponsored by the VPCC, took place on November 20, 2020. (2 hours, 4 minutes)
- A Conversation with Trial Prosecutor Richard Schultz, 50 Years Later. Two federal judges ask the former Assistant US Attorney, one of the two main lawyers for the government at the trial, his views about various events that occurred during the trial. Sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the 7th Circuit Bar Association. (1 hour, 37 minutes)
