Papa’s state bar membership dues statement has arrived. It has appeared like clockwork for fifty-six years. Retired and no longer needing bar status I still pay my membership level because I believe in supporting an organization that promotes professionalism. I’ve always been proud of my state and I feel it is a proud distinction that I was admitted to its bar. I’ve been exposed to many jurisdictions at the military, federal and state levels. There is a bit of a hodge podge in the quality of the legal profession across this country. Most have been good in my experience. I classify Wisconsin as top shelf. ( As it is “in everything” I can hear the cynics say.)
Almost a year ago I joked that the anti-Trump politicians might hit 100 indictments. Overall they came up a bit short. However, my prediction that there was a danger of casting Trump as a victim seems more clear now. If one is to go after someone, political targeting being a dubious move in any event, it would have been a good idea to hone in on a few select charges. Solid evidence would have helped. And, of course, having competent attorneys act as hatchet women/men would be high on a list of qualifications. Clowns, grifers and bozos need not apply. However, so far it has at least been entertaining.
The current trial has also caused some of my atrophied legal brain cells to revive long enough to remember the olden days. Jury trials. (See the movie “Twelve Angry Men”…sorry RO it was filmed in black and white.) I always appeared for a jury duty summons. At times I had legitimate excuses for an excuse and knew there was little chance I’d be selected. However, I wanted to be a part of the justice system to keep balance. I defended enough criminal cases to want a decent mix of citizens for jury duty. Fairness in due process is crucial. Thus, I’d show up and leave it to others whether I’d make a jury. Never did. If you are ever called to jury duty I recommend trying not to avoid it. It is an essential part of citizenship.
News reports from the Trump trial make mention of sleepiness during court sessions. I was always happy to be a trial attorney because you have to be on stage all the time. Not so for most others at a trial. That can also be true for a judge. Judicial rulings/interactions during a trial can be few and far between. I recall a county judge back home who dosed off in a jury trial. It made the news. I felt bad for him as I knew him to be one of our better judges. Who was really mad about his lapse was the jury. After all the jury missed work or their daily routines to show up and stay awake. Years later that memory prompted Papa to have a paper clip on hand to press into the palm on hot, muggy afternoon sessions. May not have been the best judge but I was awake.
Soon a New York jury will hand down its verdict. In my experiemce there is no higher high than a positive verdict for a trial attorney. A low can go pretty deep if an attorney is heavily invested in a case’s merits but falls short on a verdict. Civil or criminal a trial consumes an attorney’s attention for long periods. I often talked to myself while driving or walking alone when I rehearsed opening/closing arguments or a sequence of questions to ask a witness. Certain folks might catch me babbling on and suspect me of going around the bend.
The Trump trial has highlighted an aspect of the current state of our news media. There is an onslaught of cheerleading, for and against, rather than any veiled attempt to be objective. The throw him in jail crowd seemed to be 24/7. Every word of testimony was flashed with more than enough spin to satisfy its diehard viewers. When a witness was crushed in cross the pale it caused on presenters was obvious. But, soon another talking head recovered and said it all was not as bad as it might seem. Hope for a conviction prevailed. The other side pointed out all the holes in the case. What a tragic turn of events for America and our judicial system was proclaimed. Papa sits and thinks about showmanship rather than what the last fifty-six years has been about for him. Woo is the system.