The Historical Society of the New York Courts is pleased to introduce its new Rule of Law podcast series. This season, the series seeks to highlight a variety of important, influential, and inspiring individuals in New York legal history, including lawyers, jurists, advocates, and leaders in the legal profession.

This inaugural episode of the series is entitled “Abolitionism & Advocacy in New York.” The episode features Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt (ret.) and Professor Sarah L. H. Gronningsater in conversation, with Professor Paula C. Johnson as moderator. Drawing on their own research and scholarship, Judge Rosenblatt and Prof. Gronningsater discuss how various actors worked together in 19th century New York to fight for freedom and the abolition of slavery, and how their efforts led to changes in New York law and to successful legal challenges in New York courts.

Check out the links to learn more about the podcast episode's participants and their work:

Professor Paula C. Johnson, Professor of Law and Director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative at Syracuse University College of Law https://law.syracuse.edu/deans-faculty/faculty/paula-c-johnson/

Professor Sarah L. H. Gronningsater https://live-sas-www-history.pantheon.sas.upenn.edu/people/faculty/sarah-l-h-gronningsater and her book, The Rising Generation: Gradual Abolition, Black Legal Culture, and the Making of National Freedom https://www.pennpress.org/9781512826326/the-rising-generation/

Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt (ret.) https://history.nycourts.gov/biography/albert-martin-rosenblatt/ and his book, The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-Eight.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are those of the participants and do not reflect any opinions or policies of the Historical Society of the New York Courts.

At his death, the 96 year-old Albert Sprague Bard had occupied the landmarked Broad Exchange Building for six decades after becoming the structure's very first tenant. Within those hallowed walls, Bard hatched statewide legislation known as the "Bard Act" which gave New York's communities the legal right to regulate aesthetics — and crucially, protect historic buildings and neighborhoods through New York City's Landmarks Law.

In this special episode of Wrecking Ball, author and historian Anthony C. Wood rejoins host Adrian Untermyer to discuss the ever-persistent and oft-eccentric Bard as portrayed in Wood's new biography, Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero. Complete with joyful asides about everything from Robert Moses to Cold War spycraft to obscure railroad corporate lore, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who ever wondered how New Yorkers built a modern city that also managed to include its past.

In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candidate, won the presidential election against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. The outcome, however, was one of the most controversial in U.S. history because Tilden won the popular vote and the result of declaring Hayes as the winner was only finalized after months of dispute, earning the accolade of “the Fraud of the Century” by Tilden’s supporters and some historians.

In this podcast episode, host Hon. Helen E. Freedman is joined by Author Roy Morris, Jr., Professor Manisha Sinha, and Jerry Goldfeder, Esq., to unpack the facts and drama of the 1876 election, explore the political climate of the era, and draw thought-provoking connections to more recent national elections.