The term 'ARGUED IN COURT' can be summarized by two crossword solutions: PLED and THURGOOD. PLED is a four-letter word meaning to make a formal statement or promise, usually in a court of law. The name THURGOOD is an eight-letter word referring to Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Marshall was a civil rights lawyer who argued several cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.