Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History

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. She didn't indicate any problem understanding what I said, so obviously she understood every word. We'll just have her read my question back and find out if there was any mumbling going on. Madam reporter, would you be so kind?

Court Reporter: Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble.

Auteur

Perennially on the "Best Lawyers in America” list, Charles M. Sevilla has a private law practice in San Diego. He is the author of Wilkes on Trial and Wilkes: His Life and Crimes and a columnist for Forum.