In The Interest of Justice
Great Opening and Closing Arguments of the Last 100 Years

By Joel J. Seidemann

    If you've ever wondered why a particular court case went a certain way, closing arguments by lawyers for both sides can be a big reason.

    Author Joel. J. Seidemann has chosen a number of court cases from the last century and brought the closing arguments presented at each of them together in this novel. The purpose seems to be to shed a little light on just how a jury or judge reaches a particular decision.

     Although most of the cases in the book are from the last twenty-five years, the ones which seemed most interesting to me were somewhat older. I was fascinated with the arguments in the Scopes Trial over the teaching of evolution in schools, especially in light of recent cases in Georgia. The closing arguments at the trial of Adolph Eichmann is also here, a fascinating look into what has always been a one-minute afterthought in my American History classes.

      Most of the cases are modern ones. In a way, this is a drawback, as my familiarity with the cases and own personal biases, based on what I'd seen or heard, came into play as I read the closing arguments. Is there anyone who could read Johnnie Cochran's closing arguments in the O.J. Simpson case objectively? Being from Long Island, I am all too familiar with the Colin Ferguson case; he killed six and injured nineteen on the Long Island Railroad in 1993, and reading his own words made me steam.

   Many of the cases are relevant to the New York City area. Seidemann has worked for some time in the District Attorney's office in New York City, so it seems as if he chose some cases based on his experiences with them. Some of these, such as the Ferguson case noted above, may not have the same impact in the rest of the country.

    I did learn quite a bit reading these cases, as well as the introductions and post-scripts Seidemann included with his choices. I wish there was more variety as far as time and location went, but he has covered a good deal of material here, and has managed to do it in an informative, as well as an educational way. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike will enjoy it quite a bit.