My favorite tidbit from the Scopes trial, aside from the movie "Inherit the Wind," was when Darrow made some remark disparaging the court proceedings, and the judge harrumphed, "The court hopes the defense is not impugning the honor of this court."
And Darrow replied, "His honor is entitled to hope."
As for Leopold and Loeb ...
Leopold and Loeb, a 1920s 'Crime of the Century', featured Clarence Darrow and the introduction of 'mental illness' as a defense instead of insanity. The two murdering defendants were from wealthy families and killed a boy on a lark. They both went to prison, where one was killed, and the other got out after 33 years incarceration. A Columbo episode looks to have been based on this case. FReeper moehoward points out that Alfred Hitchcock's The Rope was similarly based"
The most interesting facts about Loeb and Leopold is not that they were very young and very rich. Instead they were remarkable success stories in the world of advanced prestigious education. As Paul Sann put it, “They were Phi Beta Kappa all the way” setting records for early graduations.
Yet their education left them moral degenerates. That was Bryan’s point. Their brilliant minds bereft of God and patriotism left them pitiful figures awaiting the judgement of an Earthly court.