While the United States Constitution mentions the right to vote less than a half dozen times (and not at all in the original Bill of Rights), it does so with language the founders used that is peculiar to that right. They wrote that no laws could be passed that would prevent “or abridge” the right […]
Without understanding the market in which you live and access healthcare, it is impossible to appreciate the value of the services being provided. This is why many people are worried when they become sick abroad or in a strange place. Our own healthcare market can seem like one of those strange places to many. In […]
“Justice delayed is justice denied.” A legal maxim often attributed to William Penn Clients are often surprised by the length of time their claims wait for final resolution in the courthouse. This is especially true for cases that may take a week or more to try. Insurance carriers and lawyers for defendants are financially […]
No one gives a damn about the things I give a damn about. The liberties that we can’t do without seem to disappear like ghosts in the air. When we don’t even care, it truly vanishes away. Jason Isbell, Alabama Pines In this jury trial series, we’ve been through history, television and the […]
Fictional lawyers in the movies have generally had a better run than real lawyers on entertainment television. But consider the iconic Atticus Finch in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’: He violated client confidences when he told his children to pity their belligerent, invalid, bigot of a neighbor, Miss Dubose, who was addicted to morphine. This chapter […]
When George Mastin rolled into town with his “Unparalleled Exhibition of Oil Paintings”, it was a sensational event by late 19th Century standards – enough to bring out the whole community. Broadsides on barn doors and tavern walls announced the happening, including historical and religious lectures. The Erin Twin Brothers would be there to clog dance. […]
What most people don’t understand – and most lawyers don’t want to talk about – is that jury selection is more DEselection. Everyone thinks they have no prejudices (they do) and can be fair in every case (they can’t). There’s a famous story about President George Herbert Walker Bush withdrawing as a judge in […]
Cain and Abel, Albrecht Durer. We aren’t ready to talk about Nancy Grace quite yet. To get that right, more background is required. But first, some ancient political philosophy. For all judges, sovereign and subordinate, if they refuse to hear proof, refuse to do justice: for though the sentence be just, yet the Judges that […]
The Jury consequently invests the people … with the direction of society. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America This series is about jury trials. Conflict has been used to resolve disputes for centuries – perhaps as long as time itself. Before trials, opposing sides would meet on a field for a battle or […]
My father prepared clients for deposition with me. Getting ready for a deposition in a serious personal injury case is no small feat. The prospect of being under oath is something any person would take seriously. But when the subject is painful and embarrassing, as serious health problems often are, it can shake even the […]
