Courtroom procedure fragments a story until only lawyers can reassemble it for jurors

Evidence

Schlichtmann wanted the jurors to understand the case as he did. The story of Woburn had been broken into fragments, first by the judge when he split the trial into phases, then by Facher and his relentless objections, and now finally by the questions. Schlichtmann would have to reassemble the pieces so the jurors could understand. He knew they wouldn’t be able to figure out how to answer the questions. He’d have to tell them what answers to write down, the only answers that would keep the case alive. — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 2272

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: the verdict form as an instrument of narrative control — how a judge’s special questions can silently decide a case before the jury votes.