A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial — a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Burns. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, cheat on your wife, you manipulate people, and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.” The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?” She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Trevino since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.” At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence, and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, “If either of you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!”
- You met him in prison. During your initial consultation he tries to sell you Amway. He tells you that his last good case was a “Budweiser.” When the prosecutors see who your lawyer is, they high-five each other. He picks the jury by playing “duck-duck-goose.” During the trial you catch him playing his Gameboy. He asks a hostile witness to “pull my finger.” A prison guard is shaving your head. Every couple of minutes he yells, “I call Jack Daniels to the stand!” and proceeds to drink a shot. He frequently gives juror No. 4 the finger. He places a large “No Refunds” sign on the defense table. He begins closing arguments with, “As Ally McBeal once said . . .” He keeps citing the legal case of Godzilla v. Mothra. Just before trial starts he whispers, “The judge is the one with the little hammer, right?” Just before he says “Your Honor,” he makes those little quotation marks in the air with his fingers. The sign in front of his law office reads “Practicing Law Since 2:25.” Whenever his objection is overruled, he tells the judge, “Whatever.” He giggles every time he hears the word “briefs.”
- Down in Virginia, the prosecutors brag they could get a grand jury to bring a ham sandwich to trial. In fact, just last week, a banana was actually convicted of murder. It was overturned on appeal.
- Leroy is in deep trouble. Calhoun, his lawyer, demands that Leroy be tried by a “jury of his peers,” so the prosecutor and Calhoun pick 12 black men to sit in the jury box. Immediately, Calhoun insists that the proceedings be dismissed and the charges be dropped… Because they have a hung jury.