The Verdict: Opening Arguments, And Mrs. Black's "Opener."

This episode started off with a brief recap. Ms. Todd noted that Csr. Cramer compared Black to a bank robber, and that Csr. Genson said that Black was the one who was robbed.

Lisa LaFlamme started her report off by admitting that the technical details of the case went over her head. [This may have had something to do with it.] She then continued with these observations: as the diagrams were shown, Csr. Gensen was the centre of attention; he explained Black’s foibles in a folksy way, saying that Black even tires him. She thought that Csr. Cramer did a very good, “dramatic,” job, but the details were quite complex.

After Ms. LaFlamme’s observations came a three-way interview-discussion with Steve Sturka and Terry Sullivan, a jury expert. Mr. Sullivan started off, and observed that the two sides ended with a tie. Csr. Skurka disagreed; he argued that the defense won hands-down. One reason why was the prosecutor indulging in histrionics.

Mr. Sullivan was asked by Ms. Todd if the prosecution has been condescending, too eager to simplify; he replied that this was Chicago. He thought that Mr. Black would have a better chance with a trial with a judge alone. (Csr. Skurka disagreed with this call.) He then was asked by Ms. Todd about problems with running a public company, which Donald Trump had brought up earlier; he agreed, and added that heading up a public company does carry special responsibilities, and a proprietorship attitude doesn’t work. (At this point, Csr. Skurka brought up a cheap shot, which, as Ms. Todd noted, was successfully objected to.) Mr. Sullivan brought up the possibility that Conrad Black will go on the stand; the prior odds of trials in this building says that he will. Csr. Skurka agreed that Mr. Black will testify, and opined that Csr. Genson softened the jury up for it. Ms. Todd, at the end of this segment, kiddingly played the judge for the two....


This episode of The Verdict ended with Ms. Todd’s own "closing argument," which was about the crowding in the courtroom. The trial is becoming more popular. There are 80 seats for what is now approximately 200 journalists; the rest have to go to overflow rooms. The journalists in those rooms were shut off from an important part of the story, as the cameras didn’t show the flashcards that the people in the courtroom saw. There should have more cameras in the courtroom…and the judge could move the trial to a different, larger, courtroom as well.