Gerry Spence, cross-examining a government witness today: "Can you tell me a case in the history of the world in which ..."
Prosecutor: "Objection."
Spence: "Okay, the United States."
Those are the kind of courtroom reflexes worth traveling across the country to see.
Blogger Norm Pattis has traveled across the country to watch his legendary former teacher defend Geoffrey Fieger on campaign finance charges in Detroit. Since the trial began, Pattis has been chronicling it from his home in Connecticut, passing on the best of the news coverage with his comments. (His collected posts on it are here.)
To hell with it
Yesterday, though, his coverage took a turn -- no, a trip. The next witness in the trial was the FBI agent who would present much of the government's case. Pattis wrote:
I sat down to write about this showdown between the lawman and one of the last remaining populist cowboys in America.
"I would give an eyetooth to see that," I started to write. I looked at the clock. It was just after three. To hell with the eyetooth, I concluded. I booked a flight to Detroit and am now at my hotel in the Motor City, some eight hours later. I'll be up early tomorrow to get a seat in the courtroom.
The posts since then are wonderful. The wrenching moment in one of Spence's psychodrama sessions that -- I'm not overstating -- changed Pattis forever. Coverage of the direct examination today, with that wonderful Spence throwaway. This afternoon spent re-exploring Detroit, his childhood home: "No way I can go home again: Most of the houses I lived in are gone, erased, kaput, vanished." And thoughts about what tomorrow, the day he came for, will be like.
There's a lot of good fiction that isn't nearly this good. Thanks to Norm Pattis for sharing it.
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Notes:
- Scott Greenfield has been following Norm's Fieger posts and adding his own comments admirably, most recently here.
- Mark Bennett, also a Spence alum, talks more about psychodrama and its relevance to trial lawyers here.
(Photo by Dr. Wendy T.L. at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wtlphotos/488456796/; license details there.)