Instructions: Selecting Trial Footage: Your goal for this assignment is to watch

Instructions:
Selecting Trial Footage:
Your goal for this assignment is to watch footage of jury trial events.
The footage should be of real events, not fictional cases (i.e., no Law & Order or other drama series).
You are required to watch approximately one hour of trial footage. Whether you watch footage from a single case or multiple depends on the topic: opening statements may take 20 minutes, for example, while a single witness testimony may take an hour.
The trial footage can be sourced from credible resources, such as:
Law & Crime Network: A reliable YouTube channel that broadcasts trial proceedings.
Court TV: A reliable YouTube channel that broadcasts trial proceedings.
Local/national news networks: These channels often broadcast high-profile trial footage. Make sure you look at the trial footage, not commentary on the footage by reporters.
Other reputable sources with publicly available trial footage.
Observations:
Provide a descriiption of the footage as if explaining it to a friend unfamiliar with the content. How would you explain what happened? For each observation, focus on specific aspects of the trial proceedings. The following are examples and are NOT exhaustive of all possible options.
Opening statements: The “gameplan” for one or both parties. What is the overarching strategy or “theory” of the party? What story or version of events did they aim to convey to the jury? How did the key pieces of evidence mentioned fit into the narrative? Assess the demeanor and style of the attorney(s). Were they confident, persuasive, or aggressive?
Examination/cross-examination: The introduction of evidence. What was the witness testifying about? How effective was the attorney at extracting information from the witness? Did they use leading questions, open-ended questions, confrontational tactics? How credible was the witness? Were there any objections during the questioning?
Closing arguments: The wrap-up to the case. What key points were presented? How was the theory of the case reinforced? Did the attorney(s) rely on logical or emotional appeals to the jury? Did the attorney(s) make any specific requests for a desired verdict and, if so, what reasoning did they use?
Sentencing: If the defendant is found guilty, the jury foreperson will read the verdict. What recommendations were made by the prosecution regarding sentencing? What mitigating factors did the defense use to influence the sentence? Were any victim impact statements read and, if so, what were they about? What rationale did the judge ultimately use to assign a particular sentence?
Analysis and Connection Readings from (A novel approach to criminal courts by David R Lynch)
After watching the trial footage, connect the observed events to the material covered in class. Consider in your response:
What insights did you gain from witnessing the actual courtroom dynamics?
Are there any discrepancies between theory and practice? For example, did what you observe differ from how the book described what may happen?
How do the events you witnessed compared to the events in Jack/Rick’s case?