Runaway Jury Essay, Research Paper
Jury duty won’t make you rich. But unfortunately, no judge ever delivered that instruction to Nicholas Easter, protagonist-juror in John Grisham’s new novel The Runaway Jury . It’s a timely legal thriller: giant tobacco companies versus the giant anti-smoking lobby. Three-pack-a-day, 30-year smoker Jacob Wood is dead and his widow’s lawsuit becomes all things to all involved; plaintiffs’ lawyers want to open the door on tobacco liability, and the industry wants it slammed shut. The author (John Grisham) puts The Runaway Jury’s court action in Biloxi, Miss. (his home state) and adds the suspense of the Gulf Coast’s gambling and gumbo. In my opinion its far less compelling than The Rainmaker , faster than The Chamber and more straightforward than The Pelican Brief , Grisham’s sixth novel is a lively read that evokes doubt about the sanctity of the U.S. jury system. Enter provocateur Nicholas Easter, part-time store clerk with clean-shaven, boyish good looks. Easter is very “nice” and really wants to appear unbiased about tobacco. There begins the story and suspicions are soon confirmed, Easter has his own agenda threading through a maze of legal procedure and powerful personalities.
There’s defence lawyer Wendall Rohr, whose name sounds like the volume of his voice. He’s almost too outrageous, with mismatched clothes and clicking dentures. But he’s crafty enough to get $1 million each from seven, anti-tobacco groups in pursuit of a victory that will seal his fortune and his future. In public, the flanks of the defence team are led by Durwood ‘Sir Durr’ Cable, the senior partner whose rich clothes and rich voice put us on edge. Cable and his group look down their “long noses” and smile “phony smiles” at the jury. With many of these quick, hackneyed details, Grisham feeds the reader’s dislike of lawyers. The real battles for the verdict are fought outside the courtroom — and for money. The dark, explosive Rankin Fitch is the industry bully with a fund to pay off jurors’ families and orchestrate mistrials. His talents are rewarded handsomely. There’s the shadowy woman, tiny and pretty Marlee, who takes on the brute Fitch, taunting him with inside information about the jury. She offers him the verdict, for a price. While his characters are detailed and real, the subplots of The Runaway Jury are too quickly grazed. We’re not convinced that one juror and his outside contact can control leagues of lawyers, a judge and jury. The lying, sneaking and dirty tricks are so simplistic that they interrupt the flow of the story. And characters who should know better, legal experts operate with improbable trust.
Другие работы по теме:
K Essay Research Paper 2a Why does
K Essay, Research Paper 2.a) Why does the Athenian jury convict Socrates, and why does Socrates maintain his innocence? b) Do you think it was right for Socrates to accept his punishment of death without fleeing, even though he thought he was innocent?
Money Makes The World Go Round Essay
, Research Paper ” Money makes the world go round ” is a popular saying in today’s society because its true. If you have money, you can get anything imaginable.
From Salem We See Essay Research Paper
The town of Salem and those that surround, From which many stories of fear abound. About Gallows Hill, Salem, many hung, Unjustly climbed the ladder rung by rung.
The Presence Of Slavery In The Adventures
Of Huckleberry Finn? Essay, Research Paper On September 23rd, 1862, Abraham Lincoln provided our wonderful nation with The Emancipation Proclamation . This speech declared all slaves
Socrates Apology Essay Research Paper Socrates made
Socrates Apology Essay, Research Paper Socrates made the correct choice to continue with his “Apology” after he received this guilty verdict. Socrates continued his defense after he received the guilty verdict for several reasons. I think the reasons why he continued his defense are: he wanted to acknowledge the Athenians who voted for his acquittal and guilt, and the jury still had to decide Socrates’ punishment.
Woburn Essay Research Paper The Woburn trial
Woburn Essay, Research Paper The Woburn trial was an incredibly complex case involving thirty-three plaintiffs, two defendants, a mountain of conflicting hydro-geological and medical testimony regarding causation, and multiple claims including negligence, nuisance and emotional distress. That is why, in my professional opinion, Judge Skinner changed the complete outcome of the trial with his actions, concerning both the procedure of the trial, and his own personal interactions with myself.
Amendment Seven Essay Research Paper The 7th
Amendment Seven Essay, Research Paper The 7th Amendment is very unusual. It speaks to trials at Common Law (civil trials), rather than criminal trials. It states that in trials where the value of the potential award is greater than twenty dollars, the accused has the right to demand that they be tried by a jury; and that no facts tried by a jury shall be reconsidered in any court in the United States other than by the rules of common law.
By Steve Barnes Essay Research Paper LITTLE
By Steve Barnes Essay, Research Paper LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) -Independent counsel Kenneth Starr’sprosecutors rested their case againstWhitewater figure Susan McDougalThursday after a week of testimonyaimed at proving she broke the law bynot talking to a grand jury.
Twelve Angry Men Essay Research Paper In
Twelve Angry Men Essay, Research Paper In the story “Twelve Angry Men”, Reginald Rose shows how making one’s own decisions is one very important aspect in life. He also showed that one’s decisions should
Law Suit Essay Research Paper NegligenceThe topic
Law Suit Essay, Research Paper Negligence The topic that will be discussed in this paper is negligence. Negligence is any conduct which creates an unreasonable risk of foreseeable harm to another. There has to be risk involved in the case in order for there to be negligence. Therefore, if there is no risk involved, then there is no case for negligence.
Jury Duty Essay Research Paper Jury system
Jury Duty Essay, Research Paper Jury system is a trial system that twelve citizens decide whether defendants are guilty or not. The verdict is unanimous. The jurors are all laypersons , as far as law is concerned. There is a reason
Speech To The Jury Essay Research Paper
For any speech to be successful, it must persuade its audience. To attain this goal, the speech has to first get the attention of the audience and at all times, maintain those audience?s interest. In Harper Lee?s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, in his speech to the jury uses conflicting ideas to arouse and keep the interest of the jurors.
Ammendment 5 Essay Research Paper The fifth
Ammendment 5 Essay, Research Paper The fifth ammendment. Today in America, criminals have the right to self incrimination. Criminals should not be allowed to have this right. This allows criminals to hide the truth from the jury. Amendment five should should not stand today because it gives criminals protection, under law, that they should not have.
The Juror Essay Research Paper I have
The Juror Essay, Research Paper I have sustained some of the most appalling trials of this century. Over me I have felt distress, bleakness, sorrow. However none of
Psych In 12 Angry Men Essay Research
Paper The film Twelve Angry Men follows the jury deliberation of a first degree murder case. The jury, totaling twelve men, dispute their decision of innocence or guilt throughout the movie. Many concepts of social psychology including conformity, anger displacement, and stereotypes are used in the struggle between these men to reach a verdict.
Jury Duty Essay Research Paper Will HemsleyIf
Jury Duty Essay, Research Paper Will Hemsley If you are the defendant, make no mistake that your so called jury of peers has made their decision within seconds of laying eyes on you, maybe not your final verdict, but the verdict they want to give you. Forget any technical information you might have heard. It is all simple human nature, as a species we are notorious for jumping to conclusions.
Jury Essay Research Paper Members of the
Jury Essay, Research Paper Members of the jury – you have been chosen because you are a captive audience. You will be required to submit a verdict of guilty or not guilty at the end of this trail by raising the appropriate card. The Foreman will tally the votes and tell the judge.
The Runaway Jury Essay Research Paper Normally
The Runaway Jury Essay, Research Paper Normally the lawyers give their arguments and then the jury go and deliberate but not so in John Grisham?s thriller ?The Runaway Jury?. In this book one mysterious girl, known only as Marlee, is controlling the whole jury from the outside. Her background is obscure and if they knew it they wouldn?t trust her.
The Characters Of A Jury Of Her
Peers Essay, Research Paper The Characters of A Jury of Her Peers The Characters of A Jury of Her Peers Based on a true story, Jury of Her Peers tells of a small town abuse and murder scene. The characters involved show that things are sometimes just as they appear to be, but sometimes we need to make some people not see in order to keep the bonds of sex from the begining of time.
How Were Spartans Different From Athens Essay
, Research Paper This is a comparing on two city-states in Greece. In Greece Sparta and Athens were different in so many ways such as in religion, government, culture, beliefs, education etc.
Justice
& Fairness Essay, Research Paper Justice & Fairness When a person commits a crime, many people call for him to be brought to justice. To many people, it means punishment. If a person commits murder, some say he should be brought to justice by having to serve a long prison sentence or even face the death penalty.
Is The Death Penalty Cruel And Unusual
Punishment? Essay, Research Paper In order to determine whether the death penalty is to be considered cruel and unusual punishment, it is necessary to first define each word in order to get full understanding of the issue being assessed. According to the Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary, cruel is defined as: ?disposed to inflict pain or suffering devoid of humane feelings.? Unusual is defined as: ?not usual, uncommon, or rare.? Punishment is defined as: ?suffering pain or loss that serves as retribution.? Should capital punishment be viewed as retribution used to cause pain or suffering without humane feelings, and is it uncommon?The message that is sent out by killing a murderer is ?If you kill, we kill.? Punishment by death is the ultimate punishment and one that cannot be taken back.
12 Angry Man Essay Research Paper Twelve
12 Angry Man Essay, Research Paper Twelve Angry Men Sometimes in life your professions reflect on your personalities. Twelve Angry Men is an example of where this occurs. Twelve men are brought together in
Twelve Angery Men
– Revamping The Jury System Essay, Research Paper Our countries jury system is fair and just, but not flawless. In the short story Twelve Anger Men, by Reginald Rose, some of these problems are made clear. Three problems that are evident are that there must be an unanimous vote for a verdict, the jury is not allowed to ask questions or take notes during the trial.
Coughing Effect On The Judicial System Essay
, Research Paper Juror’s Cough Misleads Judge CARDIFF, Wales – When a juror coughed, defendant Alan Rashid had a right to feel sick. The cough came just as the jury foreman announced a verdict of ”not guilty” in Rashid’s trial on a charge of threatening homicide. The cough coincided with ”not,” Judge Michael Gibbon only heard ”guilty” and Rashid was sentenced to two years in prison.
Patty Hearst Trial Essay Research Paper Camden
Patty Hearst Trial Essay, Research Paper Camden Clay Mock Trial Evaluation The Patty Hearst Trial The Patty Hearst trial is a well-known criminal case originally tried in the 1970s. Wesley Walker and I reenacted the Patty Hearst case as the prosecuting attorneys. In this case there were several facts we had to provide to the jury in order to effectively prosecute this case.
12 Angry Men Essay Research Paper Twelve
12 Angry Men Essay, Research Paper Twelve Angry Men The play ?Twelve Angry Men?, By Reginald Rose, is a play about 12 jurors that in an uncomfortable room have to discuss a life and death case about a boy that is accused or killing his father. the jurors do not really know eachother to talk to and wish they were anywhere but in that jury room.
12 Angry Men Essay Research Paper English12
12 Angry Men Essay, Research Paper English: 12 angery men essay 2000-07-15 12 Angry Men Paper The jury member I chose to do my paper on was Mr. Davis (the member who voted not guilty first), because he used many task messages, did not allow physical factors to affect his decisions, and was a successful emergent leader at some points in the case.These three points made Mr.
Defense Statement Essay Research Paper Defense Statement
Defense Statement Essay, Research Paper Defense Statement Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we, the defense, have shown you that there is no reason that George did not do the right and humane thing by shooting Lenny and that he is innocent of all charges against him.
Clinton Essay Research Paper Whether or not
Clinton Essay, Research Paper Whether or not to have the trial be held in public or private, symbolizes the trial. A simple question that is answered by common sense, made to just prolong a trial that serves no purpose, but to explain the bungling of two parities walking in the dark. At this stage in the proceeding there is nothing left to deliberate, no posturing left to do.
The Judicial System Essay Research Paper This
The Judicial System Essay, Research Paper This is very long, I just didn’t wrap the words The Judicial System The justice system in our country today, is one of the best in the world, but it is not without problems. The 12-person Jury system has good intent but has definite faults and should be rethought and possibly revamped.
Law State Of Florida V Michael Canady
Essay, Research Paper On the date of November 27, 2000, I visited the Hillsborough county Courthouse and witnessed the Thirteenth District Circuit Court of Florida in its proceedings. The case was the State of Florida v. Michael Canady and his honor that presided over the case was Judge William Fuente. The case was called at 10:30 AM and opened with the Judge splitting the charges against the defendant.
Inherit The Wind Essay Research Paper In
Inherit The Wind Essay, Research Paper In our Consititution, citizens have many righhts, but do we have the right to think? In the play Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence adn Robert Lee, a man is on trial for teaching his students about the theory of evolution. Drummond, the lawyer for this man, said “With all respect to the bench, I hold that the right to think is very much on trial.”
Embezzlement Essay Research Paper Mac Taylor
Embezzlement Essay, Research Paper Mac Taylor’s Embezzlement Due Process Rights Mac Taylor is employed by American National Bank located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He has been arrested