BishopAccountability.org
	Rick Smith: Trial Has Captivating Moments By Rick Smith San Angelo Standard-Times July 30, 2011 http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/jul/30/trial-offers-moments-of-excitement/ SAN ANGELO, Texas — When I finally got over to the Tom Green County Courthouse midmorning Friday, Warren Jeffs' trial was well under way. A prosecutor stood center stage, asking a witness about evidence seized from the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado. I felt as if I'd walked in during the middle of a movie. I would not want to be a courtroom news reporter. Trials often feel long and tedious. They're packed with all kinds of painstaking details that are easy to get wrong. Court reporters have to pay close attention to everything that happens and hand-write dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of pages of notes, depending on the length of the trial. (No recorders, laptops or cellphones allowed.) Because a real reporter was there to cover the trial, I played tourist Friday, gawking at the beautiful courtroom. (Courtroom A, upstairs, looks a little like a Greek temple with good carpet.) I checked out the jurors, a mostly younger group who seemed fixated by the prosecutor's methodical questioning of the witness. The rest of us — sitting in the courtroom's cushioned wooden pews — were a mixed bunch. Professional-looking people. Working-looking people. Retiree-looking people. I learned early on that real-life courtroom trials have little resemblance to their TV or movie cousins. They move slowly, precisely, in stops and starts. Someone's always talking, but there's very little action. Meanwhile, the trial droned on. For most of us, trying to follow a trial is like reading Shakespeare. The words are strange and it can be hard to tell exactly what's going on. Like Shakespeare, there's lots of dialogue. But, unlike his plays, there's often not a lot of drama in a trial. So when something does happen, everyone sits up and takes notice. We sat up just before 11 a.m. Friday. While the prosecutor questioned an FBI agent on the stand, Jeffs suddenly stood up. "I object!" The judge asked him what his objection might be. For the next 55 minutes, he told us. The 55-year-old, tall, thin leader and prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints delivered a passionate monologue, quietly stating his objections, part scolding, part sermon, part lecture. He covered a lot of ground: "Government intervention ..." "Freedom of religion ..." "Constitutional rights ..." "Eternal life ..." "Damned here and hereafter ..." "Salvation for all mankind ..." "Sacred trust ..." "Peace and happiness ..." "Revelations from heaven ..." Ending with "amen." At first, spectators were mesmerized by the speaker. After the first half-hour, though, a lot of people kept turning around to steal glances at the big clock on the courtroom's rear wall. But when Jeffs finished, no one left the room. He remained standing. The prosecutor resumed his questioning. "I object!" I could feel the electricity in the courtroom. Spectators were looking at one another. The judge cut Jeffs off. The prosecutor resumed. "I object!" The judge silenced Jeffs a second time. Again and again. I counted five times in all. At some point, two big men, either law enforcement officers or NFL linebackers, appeared in the aisle, moving toward the front of the room, hands folded in front of them. Not smiling. The judge ordered the jury to leave the courtroom. "You have to follow the rules," she told Jeffs after the jurors left. "One rule is you cannot interrupt now." Then she called a recess so Jeffs could consult his standby attorney on court etiquette. Who says courtroom proceedings aren't exciting? Not me. Not this trial. Contact: rsmith@gosanangelo.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.