Verdict No. 8 · Tuesday, November 10, 2026

The five rulings

What the courts decided.

The will that would last a century

1Thellusson v WoodfordEnglish Court of Chancery, 1799

2Thellusson v Woodford (1799): The court upheld the will, and the House of Lords agreed in 1805. By then Parliament had already passed the Accumulations Act to stop such schemes in the future.

The cheerleader's Snapchat

1Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.US Supreme Court, 2021

2Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021): The Court held 8 to 1 for the student, saying schools have some interest in off-campus speech, but not enough here.

The tiny crayfish

1Cole v WhitfieldHigh Court of Australia, 1988

2Cole v Whitfield (1988): The court unanimously held the free trade clause bars only protectionist laws, not rules applied evenly like this one.

The dock in the storm

1Ploof v. PutnamVermont Supreme Court, 1908

2Ploof v. Putnam (1908): The court held necessity justified using the dock in an emergency, so the owner was liable for casting them off.

The island nobody visited

1Island of Palmas CasePermanent Court of Arbitration, 1928

2Island of Palmas (1928): Arbitrator Max Huber ruled for the Netherlands. Discovery alone gives only a weak claim, which must be backed up by real and peaceful control.

Five new cases every day at midnight.

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