Laws are for the little people….

While members of Congress may have championed Prohibition laws on the House floor, many of them happily broke the rules in any of the 3,000 speakeasies scattered throughout downtown Washington. And when members needed to restock their personal hooch supply, they turned to one man: George Cassiday. During his time as a booze distributor on … Read more

Recent CRS Reports – Sept. 1, 2013

Government Assistance for AIG: Summary and Cost, CRS Report R42953, August 14, 2013 (25-page PDF) Reauthorizing the Office of National Drug Control Policy: Issues for Consideration, CRS Report R41535, August 13, 2013 (19-page PDF) Bee Health: Background and Issues for Congress, CRS Report R43191, August 27, 2013 (33-page PDF) The Debt Limit: History and Recent … Read more

Moman Pruiett (1872-1945)

Died. Moman Pruiett, 73, shaggy-browed Oklahoma criminal lawyer; of pneumonia; in Oklahoma City. Sent to jail for robbery at age 18, he vowed “I’ll open the doors of your damned prisons!” Later he became so expert at bringing tears to backwoods jurors’ eyes (343 murder cases, 303 acquittals, no executions) that he was considered a … Read more

The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 21 (21st Amendment – Prohibition Repealed)

The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 21 (Twenty-First Amendment) Amendment XXI. (Prohibition Repealed) Passed by Congress February 20, 1933. Ratified December 5, 1933. Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the … Read more

The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 18 (Eighteenth Amendment – Prohibition)

The Constitution of the United States: Amendment 18 (18th Amendment) Amendment XVIII. (Prohibition) Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by amendment 21. Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof … Read more