Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History

by Charles M. Sevilla

Book Overview

In America's courtooms, the verdict is laughter. Sit back and enjoy a collection of verbatim exchanges from the halls of justice, where defendants and plaintiffs, lawyers and witnesses, juries and judges, collide to produce memorably insane comedy. A: You mumbled on the first part of that and I couldn't understand what you were saying. Could you repeat the question? Q: I mumbled, did I? Well, we'll just ask the court reporter to read back what I said...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393319288
• ISBN13: 9780393319286
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Reasonable Prudent Person Standard does not apply!

While reading the excerpts you will be in shock and awe. When that state subsides, you will likely realize how smart you look and sound in comparison! This one is worth lots of laughs and unforgettable scenarios!

Norman Cousins should've used this book for therapy!

My husband is eighty-seven and faced with many physical problems... AND depression. A friend sent an e-mail containing excerpts from this book. Laurits laughed like he hadn't in months, so I located this book and bought it for him. He's read it over and over. A great book for a person who's down in the dumps... or your favorite lawyer! It makes a nice little gift for ANYONE!

Hilarious

My cousin, who is an attorney, loves this book. She said that she can't put it down. Makes her look forward to her job. Great.

Goofy Things Said in Court

The book is a collection of things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down by court reporters. It must be tough to record some of these exchanges without laughing out loud. Fun reading for anyone, but if you have a friend who's a lawyer or a judge, it might be the perfect gift for them. Here are some samples from the book: ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth? WITNESS: July 18th. ATTORNEY: What year? WITNESS: Every year. _____________________________________ ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you? WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which. ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you? WITNESS: Forty-five years. _____________________________________ ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?" ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? WITNESS: My name is Susan. ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning? WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? ____________________________________ ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he? WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one ________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken? WITNESS: Would you repeat the question? ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time? WITNESS: Uh.... ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: She had three children, right? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: How many were boys? WITNESS: None. ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated? WITNESS: By death. ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?

A great read and very funny too!

When I decide to review a book, I try to pick subject that interest me and law is one of those subjects. This book has very little to with the practice of law and very much to do with the lighter side of the law. It will entertain you for hours as you read through the pages.In just over 250 pages you will find some of the funniest things ever said in a courtroom. You'll read what lawyers; witnesses, jurors, judges, defendants and plaintiffs have said if you pay attention you'll find yourself on the ground laughing.A book that took just one hour to complete from cover to cover has provided a very bright start to the New Year. The sidesplitting questions and answers are sure to make everyone laugh. A certain must have for everyone in the legal field.Written by a practicing lawyer and taken from actual court transcripts you'll get a first hand look at not so serious side of the system of jurisprudence. Congratulations on a job well done! This book makes a great gift for those hard to buy people as well.