Trying a case to a jury is like pitching: work fast and throw strikes. It’s amazing how many lawyers fail to understand this. How many fall in love with their own outline of questions and fixate on points that matter only to them when a jury really only cares about the important crap.
But even if the lawyers trying the Rogers Clemens case didn’t know that, you’d think the judge actually yelling at them to speed the heck up would work. But I guess not:Prosecutors had said they might have star witness Brian McNamee testify Tuesday. Now they say he might not even appear this week. And that was after U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton told both sides to speed things along.
Walton said Monday he had concerns about the pace of the trial, and threatened to impose time limits if the parties continue to ask unnecessary questions.
The trial is already in its fourth week.Someone call Joe West. He may be wrong on every evidentiary ruling in the case, but he’d sure as hell get this baby moving faster.
