Trials served as public entertainment before broadcast media existed

Evidence

Eloquence in court gained attention, and attention gained clients. There was a ready audience. In the days before radio and television, people appreciated a good trial and a good courtroom speech. In the provinces, when the court arrived at the county seat, court day was an occasion; trials and courtroom business broke up the monotony of life. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 1863

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s cross-course thread on listening/observation-as-method and to the court-day social function discussed in ch. 12 on lawyer mediation. — connects to: Pre-broadcast courtroom oratory doubled as public entertainment — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 1222; Preindustrial cities made punitive justice an open public spectacle — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 162; Pioneers conducted formal trials even beyond reach of any court — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 2121

Broader Connections

• Preindustrial cities made punitive justice an open public spectacle #exemplifies (0.90) — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 162
• Pioneers conducted formal trials even beyond reach of any court #complicates (0.72) — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 2121