The ‘Great Rent Wars’ of New York
In 1920, a Bronx district court judge named William E. Morris heard a series of cases that aroused his ire. Morris was a tough Army veteran: While serving under Gen. George Custer in 1876, he had survived wounds at the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn. But decades later, these cases kept getting under his skin. When one lawyer in Morris’ courtroom announced he would file for a writ of mandamus, to force an immediate hearing, Morris threatened to punch him, shouting, “I’ll mandamus you in the nose.” When another lawyer threatened an appeal of a Morris ruling, the judge responded, “Go to the Supreme Court. Go to hell.” What subject could have so angered this judge? For those who have lived in New York and certain other high-rent districts, the answer may come as no surprise: It was rent control. In a place where, then as now, real estate was...