INDIANAPOLIS – The Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana recently announced that its documentary film And Justice for All: Indiana’s Federal Courts has been nominated for two Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Lower Great Lakes Region.

Southern District of Indiana Federal Courthouse, Birch Bayh Federal Building in Indianapolis.

The film is nominated in the Documentary – Historical, and Musical Composition/Arrangement. Winners will be announced at the 49th Annual Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 23, 2018.

The film can be viewed in its entirety online; DVD copies are also available free of charge to educators (while supplies last) by contacting Doria Lynch at Doria_Lynch@insd.uscourts.gov. A classroom version of the film and a Teacher’s Guide are also available and provide in-class and take-home activities relating to the film.

In addition to providing an overview of the history of Indiana’s federal courts, the film portrays the events surrounding three cases of historical significance:

Ex parte Milligan, in which Indiana’s federal court played a role in answering the Constitutional question of whether civilians are eligible for prosecution by a military tribunal when civilian courts are open. This Civil War-era case made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States.
United States v. Ryan, et al., a case involving members of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers who were prosecuted for their roles in allegedly having conspired to bomb their way to the bargaining table, resulting in the deaths of 21 people at the The Los Angeles Times and thousands of dollars in property damage. The 1912 conspiracy trial lasted three months and brought international media attention to Indianapolis.
United States v. Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Public Schools desegregation case that began in 1968 and continued until 2016, when the busing order of Judge S. Hugh Dillin finally expired.

The film was produced by Gudaitis Production, a documentary and educational film production company, led by David Gudaitis, Ph.D., Alan Backler, Ph.D., and Larry Laswell, M.A.