Sources of Inquiry

Case 1: Legal Records

Legal records are documents that serve as evidence of the rights and obligations of individuals, organizations, and governments. These documents provide proof that a particular activity took place, and contribute to accountability in organizations and government. Some are generated directly from legal processes conducted by courts or the police, while others arise as evidence of rights over physical property, intellectual property, or copyright.

On display in the case are a variety of legal records, including a 1992 appellee's brief in United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc., in which producers of pornographic videos featuring the underaged Traci Lords were charged with trafficking in child pornography. On appeal, the defense challenged the constitutionality of certain sections of federal laws against child pornography. The Ninth Circuit court agreed, reversing the district court's decision in 1992. The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court, where the Ninth Circuit ruling was reversed on November 29, 1994.

Other examples of legal documents include an 1822 affidavit confirming that an African-American woman and her children were freeborn; a 1950s brief of civil action for alleged breach of restrictive covenants involving the sale of real estate to African-Americans; an 1895 motion for a new trial in the People of the State of California vs. Wong Chuey, convicted of murder in the second degree; and the The Last Will and Testament of William Mulholland, renowned builder of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which excludes his daughter Ruth as a direct heir.

Case 2, Vital Records, is the tall case to the north.

  • 1

    Contract to solicit the sale or licensing of the script titled "The Clown Struck One," November 25, 1946Violet Atkins Klein Papers

  • 2

    Deed agreement between Jubencio Guerrero and Felipe Rodriguez, County of Cochise, Territory of Arizona, July 25, 1913Felipe and Blandina (Guerrero) Rodriguez Family Collection

  • 3

    Affidavit Confirming that Nelly Scott and her children Robert, Samuel, and John were freeborn, 1822Free Status Affidavits Collection

  • 4

    Bond of Joshua Groom and Blake Grantley to Samuel B. Harrison, naming 7-year-old Bryant as security for the debt, June 9, 1824Legal and Financial Documents on Slaves and Slavery in the United States Collection

  • 5

    Appellee's brief, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, US v. X-Citement Video, Inc., 1992Stanley Fleishman Collection

  • 6

    Deposition of Shloma Liamianski regarding the the activities of accused Nazi war criminal Mecis Paskievicuis, 1978Frank del Olmo Collection

  • 7

    Brief of civil action for damages for alleged breach of restrictive covenants by Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith and the American Jewish Committee as Amici Curiae, circa 1950sJewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, Community Relations Committee Collection, Part 3

  • 8

    Motion for a new trial, The People of the State of California vs. Wong Chuey, convicted of murder in the second degree, August 7, 1895Early Los Angeles Court Transcript Collection

  • 9

    Building use permit for North Valley Ecology Council, October 5, 1971Dorothy Boberg Collection

  • 10

    Grant deed for the YWCA Hollywood Branch, March 16, 1926Young Women's Christian Association of Los Angeles Collection

  • 11

    General Commercial Lease for Bebop Records, March 1, 1982Richard Bruland Bebop Records Art Posters Collection

  • 12

    Last Will and Testament of William Mulholland, April 6, 1934Catherine Mulholland Collection

Location

Case 1 Map