Trial of the century is an idiomatic phrase used to describe certain well-known court cases. It is often used popularly as a rhetorical device to attach importance to a trial and as such is not an objective observation but is the opinion of whoever uses it. An idiom is an expression (i. ... In rhetoric, a rhetorical device or resource of language is a technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in his audience (his reader(s) or listener(s)). These emotional responses are central to the meaning of the work or speech, and should also get the...

A number of court cases have been called the "trial of the century" by legal professionals and scholars. These included:

• Sacco and Vanzetti (1920's)^[1]

• Scopes trial (1925)^[2]

• Nuremberg Trials (1945)^{[3] [4]}

• O. J. Simpson murder trial (1995)^[2]

See also: Lindbergh kidnapping, called the "crime of the century" Bartolomeo Vanzetti (left) and Nicola Sacco in handcuffs Nicola Sacco (April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were two Italian-born American anarchists, who were arrested, tried, and executed via electrocution in Massachusetts for the charge of murder and theft. ... The Scopes Trial (, often called the Scopes Monkey Trial) was a watershed in the creation-evolution controversy that pitted lawyers William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow against each other (the latter representing teacher John Thomas Scopes) in an American legal case that tested a law passed on March 13, 1925... For the 1947 Soviet film about the trials, see Nuremberg Trials (film). ... The O. J. Simpson murder case was a highly-publicized U.S. criminal trial in which former American football star for the National Football League (NFL) and actor O. J. Simpson was charged with the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, Ronald Goldman. ... Lindbergh baby kidnapping poster. ...

Notes

1. ^ John Davis (2004). Sacco and Vanzetti: Rebel Lives , ISBN 1876175850. See "Introduction".
2. ^ ^{a b} Law professor Doug Linder's discussion on which trial was "the trial of the century", January 28, 1999
3. ^ Kanon, Joseph "The Real Trial of the Century" New York Times, June 9, 2002
4. ^ Sadat, Leila "Experts Debate the Issues: The Dujail Trial - Issue # 10: Is the Saddam Hussein Trial one of the most important court cases of all time? Not necessarily" Case School of Law Website, October 5th, 2005

External links

• MSNBC survey on the topic from 2000