Introduction: losers, fools, and prophets -- Can law stop war? The Constitution and Iraq -- A tradition of resistance : anti-slavery litigators and the fight for freedom -- "A fine agitation" : women's suffrage goes to court -- Plessy v. Ferguson : the fool's last battle -- Plant closing litigation : "Youngstown sure died hard" -- Politics versus law : were travelers to Cuba trading with the enemy? -- Challenging United States intervention in Central America -- End of an era: fighting U.S. action in Kosovo.