The Prize Cases

[Powderhorn]

One of the more interesting Supreme Court cases revolves around the opening actions of the Civil War.  The Prize Cases are a collection of court cases that found their way to the SCOTUS in 1863, originating from a series of ship captures at the opening of the Civil War.

This is, admittedly, not my best writing - it was written some years back.  However, I think the history behind the case is interesting, its use today likewise, and some of the arguments... humorous.  My favorite discovery when writing this was the argument that the blockade in question was legitimate because it was a de facto war, as proved by the existence of the blockade.

You can read the piece here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Lch0M7RFs7QWlVQzRSZTVZNnM/view?usp=sharing