About Ian C. Pilarczyk

Ian C. Pilarczyk is an administrator and legal historian who runs the Executive LL.M. in international business law, and the Legal English Certificate Program, at Boston University School of Law. His title is Director of Executive, Online and Special Initiatives.

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 11/2/15: Which Day is the Deadliest?

While Mondays might be the most unpopular, statistics over the past decade show that homicides are much more likely to occur on Thursdays than any other day of the week; Tuesdays are the “safest” with the lowest rate of homicides.

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 10/26/15: The Great Crash

The Great Crash refers to the Wall Street crash that began October 24, 1929, and ultimately ushered in the 10-year long Great Depression. In just two days more than $30 billion in stock market value (worth approximately $400 billion today) was erased. These events prompted Congress to pass … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 10/19/15: The Origins of Tort Law

Under ancient Anglo-Saxon law a plaintiff who suffered injuries was allowed to seek personal revenge, known as a “blood feud”. This eventually was replaced by payments referred to as “blood fines”. As tort law developed, these payments were divided into … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 10/12/15: Citizen’s Arrest

A citizen’s arrest — an arrest by a non-law enforcement officer — is statutorily provided for in 49 states (North Carolina is the exception) where a citizen observes a felony being committed, or when a citizen is asked by a … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 10/5/15: Show Me the Money!

Only two justices of the Supreme Court have appeared on U.S. Currency. John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice, appeared on the $500 bill; while Salmon P. Chase (the sixth Chief Justice) appeared on the $10,000 bill. Neither denomination is still in circulation.

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 9/28/15: Supreme Court Clerks that Became Justices

There have been six Justices of the Supreme Court who had previously served as Supreme Court clerks: Byron R. White, William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Stephen G. Breyer, John G. Roberts, and Elena Kagan.

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 9/21/15: State Suffrage

The provision in Article I of the Constitution specifying that each state shall have two senators elected by the state legislature was of such importance to the Philadelphia delegation that they insisted it not be subject to amendment, hence the … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 9/14/15: The Office of the Pardon Attorney

The President is granted the pardon power under Article II, section 2 of the Constitution. Since 1894 it has been the responsibility of the Office of the Pardon Attorney in the Department of Justice to provide the President with recommendations for … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 9/7/15: Jury Sequestration in the U.S.

The practice of jury sequestration predates the Declaration of Independence, as its first recorded use in the U.S. was in the 1770 Boston Massacre trial in which the jury was sequestered for a week. The longest recorded sequestration was eight and … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 8/31/15: The Origins of “Arrest”

The word “arrest” is Anglo-Norman in origin, related to the French word “arrêt” meaning “to stop” or “to stay”. In the U.S., the most common slang expression to signify arrest is “collared” (similar to the French slang, incidentally!), while in … Continue reading

Ian’s Legal Fact of the Week 8/24/15: The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which sought to guarantee equal rights for women, was originally introduced in Congress in 1923 but not submitted for ratification until 1972. It was ultimately ratified by 35 states (although some of these later rescinded … Continue reading

10 Historical Documents Proven to be Fake

I am very pleased to feature a guest blog this week, from Rob Carter in the U.K. (welcome, Rob!). While not specifically on a legal subject, it is on an interesting historical topic that also is related to law, namely — … Continue reading