The Trial of the Chicago 7 is based on a real American court case, so what happened to the defendants after the conspiracy acquittal? Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the legal drama uses the Vietnam War as a narrative backdrop for a true story about social activism, and the efforts to suppress it.
Set during 1969 and 1970, The Trial of the Chicago 7 centers on the aftermath of riots that took place during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. J.C. Mackenzie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt portray prosecutors Tom Foran and Richard Schultz, respectively, who attempt to convince jurors that a group of defendants representing several different activist groups conspired to incite a riot. The Trial of the Chicago 7 co-stars Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman, and Mark Rylance as defense attorney William Kunstler.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 ends with defendant Tom Hayden defiantly reading out a list of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War, and Judge Hoffman failing to bring the court back to order as spectators rise to their feet out of respect for the dead. Text on the screen explains that the defendants' charges of inciting a riot were later overturned by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, due to Judge Hoffman's clear bias and poor conduct throughout the trial. The Netflix film also notes the tragic fates of two characters, but doesn't explain what happened to the rest of the defendants. Here's what you need to know about what happened to the Chicago 7 and Bobby Seale after the trial.
Rennie Davis
Portrayed by Alex Sharp in the Netflix film, Rennie Davis was a leader of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). After the trial, Davis became a public speaker and aligned himself with the Divine Light Mission, a religious movement founded by Hans Ji Maharaj. He later established the Foundation for a New Humanity and also worked as a public speaker. Now 79 years old and living in Longmont, Colorado, Davis recently spoke about The Trial of the Chicago 7 in an interview with Westword:
“There’s such a parallel between what happened in ’68 and what’s happening now with the election days away, and so many people panicking that it may be the last. It’s just beautiful timing, and I really the film in that sense.”
David Dellinger
David Dellinger was the non-violent leader of the Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam (The Mobe). In the 70s, Dellinger settled in Peacham, Vermont with his wife and children. He wrote the books Revolutionary Nonviolence (1971), More Power Than We Know (1975), and Vietnam Revisited (1986), along with the 1993 autobiography From Yale to Jail: The Life Story of a Moral Dissenter. During the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Dellinger was arrested alongside the son of Chicago 7 co-defendant Abbie Hoffman for a sit-in protest. Dellinger ed away in May 2004 at age 88. He's portrayed by John Carroll Lynch in Sorkin's film.
John Froines
Along with Lee Weiner, John Froines was acquitted on charges of crossing state lines for purposes of inciting a riot and making incendiary devices. Weiner taught chemistry at Goddard College and later become director of UCLA’s Occupational Health Center in the early '90s. According the UCLA website, Froines chairs the State of California's Scientific Review , the central review at the State level for identifying toxic air contaminants. Froines is currently 81 years old. He's portrayed by Daniel Flaherty in The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Tom Hayden
Played by Eddie Redmayne in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Tom Hayden was a leader of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Hayden traveled to Vietnam after the Chicago 7 trial and eventually married actress Jane Fonda in 1973. He was elected to the California State Assembly in 1982 and later became a California state senator before ing away at age 76 in October 2016. His son, actor Troy Garity, earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Barry Winchell in the 2003 film Soldier's Girl.
Abbie Hoffman
Abbie Hoffman was a leader of the Youth International Party. He's portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7. Hoffman, author of the 1967 pamphlet F**k the System and the 1968 book Revolution For the Hell of It, wrote the 1971 counterculture classic Steal This Book after the Chicago 7 trial. Two years later, he was arrested for cocaine possession and eventually served four months in jail after spending several years in hiding as "Barry Freed." Six months after filming a cameo in Oliver Stone's 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July, the 52-year-old Hoffman was found dead of a drug overdose that was later ruled to be a suicide.
Jerry Rubin
Portrayed by Jeremy Strong in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Jerry Rubin was a leader of the Youth International Party. After the Chicago 7 trial, Rubin continued to protest during the early '70s and then became a multi-millionaire after investing in Apple. He toured with Hoffman during the '80s for political debates and later worked on Wall Street as a stock broker. In November 1994, Rubin died of a heart attack at age 56, two weeks after being struck by a vehicle in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale, portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, was the National Chairman of the Black Panther Society. He was originally the eighth defendant in the conspiracy case, but a mistrial was called after he spent three days bound and gagged in court due to his disruptions. After the Chicago 7 trial, Seale ran for Mayor of Oakland in 1973 and finished in second place with 40 percent of the vote. Five years later, he released A Lonely Rage: The Autobiography of Bobby Seale and later wrote the cookbook Barbeque'n with Bobby Seale: Hickory & Mesquite Recipes. After teaching at Temple University in Philadelphia, Seale moved back to Oakland in the 2000s. During a 2020 interview with The Washington Post, the 83 year-old addressed the current political climate in America by stating "You cannot fight racism with racism. You have to fight it with solidarity."
Lee Weiner
Played by Noah Robbins in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Lee Weiner was an academic who was charged with interstate travel for purposes of inciting a riot. Weiner began teaching at Rutgers University after the Chicago 7 trial, but lost his job upon joking about becoming a communist. Weiner later worked for both The Anti-Defamation League and the AmeriCares Foundation. During a recent interview with Forward, the 81-year-old Florida resident discussed his 2020 autobiography Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7, along with his thoughts about modern American politics:
"I want to have a revolution in the United States, and destroy capitalism. I want people to be freer. I want oppression of gender and other things by the government to stop. I want America to be better."
The Trial of the Chicago 7 True Story: What The Movie Changes
