University of Alaska Press released The Biggest Damned Hat: Tales from Alaska's Territorial Lawyers and Judges by Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum and research associate at the Justice Center. Built on interviews and oral histories from more than fifty lawyers who worked in Alaska before 1959, and buttressed by research into legal history, The Biggest Damned Hat provides new perspectives on Alaska history from gold rush times to statehood. Clubby, passionate and powerful, territorial lawyers developed their own brand of civil and criminal law in the face of uneven and, at times, unscrupulous federally appointed judges. Bringing to life a time long past—when some of the best lawyers had little formal legal education—The Biggest Damned Hat fills in a crucial part of Alaska’s history.
