Mock Trial with J. Reinhold

(Mock Trial...) Mock Trial with J Reinhold (Mock Trial...) Mock Trial with J Reinhold (Mock Triiiiiiiiiiiial...)

Michael: I do not want to turn this mock trial into some kind of...
GOB: You were gonna say mockery, weren't you??
Michael: I was in trouble, like, 3 words into that.

<3

Internet hearts look more like asses to me. Behinds. Bottoms. Derriers. Funny how "bottom" sounds better in a British accent but "ass" sounds better in an American one. But anyway, I had my mock trial on Saturday. I got up at 5.45 to get to the courthouse on time. It was the actual King County Courthouse near Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle, complete with security guards, X-ray machines and a real judge to officiate the trial. I thought it was very generous of the judge, who is at his courtroom Monday-Friday anyway, to officiate a mock trial at 8 am on Saturday morning. He was VERY judicial - gray hair, kindly but stern, slim, distinguished looking. He looked like John Edwards except older and wiser.

Anyway, when I got there, it was the first time I had ever been into an American courtroom (I observed one day of a British murder trial at the Old Bailey, from the public gallery as a tourist). Most of the other jurors there were old people, who were very cute, but I was alarmed as I thought I would be with students. Turns out they were in the wrong room and all of the jurors for my case were young, but I was sitting next to the old ones long enough to hear some choice snippets of conversation; for example:

*sound of high heels clipping down the corridor*
Kindly Old Lady #1: Now that's a lady.
*pause*
KOL #2: ...Or a transvestite.

The Seattle University law students were professionally dressed and seemed pretty nervous, especially the guy who did the opening statement for the defense. His hands were shaking. I tried to smile at him encouragingly. I kept on thinking how much rehearsal and performance goes into the law. It reminded me of being in a play. And most of the lawyers-in-training were in their mid twenties. They aren't too much old er than me, just in professional school, and their nervousness and lack of assuredness reminded me more of myself than of TV lawyers. Everything seemed to remind me of what I'd seen on screen - the exhibits, the "ladies and gentlemen of the jury," "We hope that you will return a verdict of guilty," "objection!" etc., etc., and I had to keep reminding myself that however stylized the law appeared, this wasn't a performance but a trial, and in a year or two the students would all be actual lawyers, saying these things for a living. It was weird.

It was a murder case, and we returned a verdict of guilty of first degree murder. The state team didn't badger witnesses like the defense did, and they had a more coherent argument. Our deliberations were videoed for the benefit of the students which was a little weird.

5.00 ... have to go study. More on juicy details of mock trial later.