In America's Court: How a Civil Lawyer Who Likes to Settle Stumbled into a Criminal Trial

by Thomas Geoghegan

In America's Court is the thoughtful, witty story of labor lawyer Thomas Geoghegan's introduction to the world of criminal law. After twenty years of civil practice, in which "complex litigation" fades slowly into settlement, he is unprepared for the much quicker justice of state criminal court when he assists in the defense of a twenty-two-year-old who, at age fifteen, was sentenced to forty years in prison for acting as the unarmed lookout in a botched holdup. In an America that now routinely imprisons kids as adults, he comes to see this small case as a basic test of human rights. The case leads Geoghegan to reevaluate his own career as a civil lawyer and the ways he might use the law to effect social change. Written with the author's trademark intelligence and humor, In America's Court is a compelling narrative and a candid look at the justice that our society provides for its citizens.

Genres: Law, Memoir

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Thomas Geoghegan received national attention when he ran as a progressive candidate for Rahm Emanuels congressional seat in 2009 (and was endorsed by Barbara Ehrenreich, James Fallows, Thomas Frank, James K. Galbraith, Hendrik Hertzberg, Alex Kotlowitz, Sara Paretsky, Rick Perlstein, Katha Pollitt, David Sirota, Garry Wills, and Naomi Wolf, among others). He is a practicing attorney and the author of several books, including Which Side Are You On?, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and received a special citation from the PEN/Martha Albrand Award judges, In Americas Court, and See You in Court. Geoghegan has written for The Nation, the New York Times, and Harpers. He lives in Chicago."

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up. This was a really interesting peek behind the curtain at America's legal scene, very different from most of what I read, which I enjoyed. I liked his voice, which was fresh and conversational, with just the right amount of self-doubt, naivete, and snarkiness thrown in for seasoning.

In my opinion, Geoghegan should have stopped with the first part of the book. Rolando's trial was really the driving force of the book, and I wasn't sure why it kept going for 50 pages afterwards. If he wanted to keep some of that more philosophical musing, I woud have preferred to see it interwoven throughout the first section, rather than delivered like a keynote lecture in the book's final quarter.

[Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this went over my head. But it's about my Dad!!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, I was riveted by the subject matter (a civil lawyer ends up in a criminal appeal case - a fish-out-of-water legal story) and the insights into criminal law, but the author's writing style was erratic. At times, I found the conversational tone inappropriate, and he gets super preachy at the end. Even policy wonks and legal nerds will find the pontificating at the end to be strangely divergent from the first 3/4 of the book. All in all, a good read.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geohegan is a fantastic writer. I would read his description of what he ate for breakfast, &c.

If only there were fewer lawyers in public life, so that Geohegan's diaries would appear more novel to the country at large.

The only weirdness in this book is: (1) the weird objectification of women and (2) that there are a couple of theses competing for attention and several drop out near the end.