Today in Labor History February 18, 1970: A jury found the Chicago Seven not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. However, Judge Julius Hoffman still convicted all the defendants with contempt and sentenced them to jail time ranging from 3 months to over 4 years. These were all reversed on appeal. Black Panther Bobby Seale had been a codefendant, but his case was declared a mistrial. Judge Hoffman had ordered him physically gagged during the trial.