Joel's father knows a lawyer who represented, pro bono, a couple of young men who were clearly guilty of bombing a Jewish temple. This is his story.
While the prosecutor was examining the key witness, the lawyer (Mr. Feil's friend) kept scooting his chair little by little to the side until he was at the prosecutor's table, at which point he starts going through the prosecutor's notes. The prosecutor notices this and gets livid. The judge gets livid. The lawyer apologizes and returns to his own table. The prosec. continues questioning the witness. The lawyer, once again scoots his chair over to the other side. This happens four times. Each time the prosecutor goes into a rage, the judge bangs his gavel, "Contempt of court! Contempt of court!" Finally, the jury is dismissed and the judge takes the 2 lawyers into his chambers. When the jury is brought back again, they see a chalk line drawn down the middle of the courtroom. The prosec. once again continues his examination of the key witness and the defense lawyer stands up and chucks his chair across the chalk line. The judge loses it.
"CONTEMPT OF COURT! CONTEMPT OF COURT!" Gavel banging, judge roaring, prosecutor shrieking, defense attorney maintaining his innocence-
"MY ASS DIDN'T CROSS THE LINE! MY ASS DIDN'T CROSS THE LINE!"
"CONTEMPT OF COURT! CONTEMPT OF COURT!"
2 weeks later when the trial was over (the defendants, by the way, were acquitted and their lawyer did a month in jail for contempt of court) the jury were interviewed about the key witness, whose testimony should have put the defendants in prison.
They didn't remember a single word of the testimony.

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone it, People Like Me!

A fellow TACer and good friend's father went to Notre Dame Law. We'll call this good friend X. At my & Nick's prompting, X told his father he had 2 friends who wanted to meet with him & talk about getting into ND Law School. So, X's father suggested we come over to watch the ND/Tennessee game last Saturday. We went to their house, X introduced us, and X's father immediately begins giving Nick ND literature. The boys go to the kitchen to get some beers & I am left alone with X's father.
"So, what do you want to do when you leave TAC?" he asks me.
Pause.
"... law school..." I say timidly.
It dawns on him. "Oh! YOU'RE the other one!"

The tradition of "dice girls" at the quadrivial trivial pursuit must stop. It's degrading & disgusting & I have a plan but I can't say what it is yet. But I'll give you a hint: pantsuits.