One of America's leading appeal lawyers, Alan Dershowitz was the man chosen to prepare the appeal should O.J. Simpson have been convicted. Now Professor Dershowitz uses this case to examine the larger issues and to identify the social forces - media, money, gender, and race - that shape the criminal-justice system in America today. How could one of the longest trials in the history of America's judicial system produce a verdict after only hours of jury deliberation? Was this really a case of circumstantial evidence?
Jaded New York City Public Defender Liana Cohen would give anything to have one client in whom she can believe. Dozens of hardened criminals and repeat offenders have chipped away at her faith in both herself and the system. Her boyfriend Jakob’s high-powered law firm colleagues see her do-gooder job as a joke, which only adds to the increasing strain in their relationship. Enter imprisoned felon Danny Shea, whose unforgivable crime would raise a moral conflict in an attorney at the height of her idealism—and that hasn't been Liana in quite a while. But Danny's astonishing blend of good looks, intelligence, and vulnerability intrigues Liana. Could he be the client she’s been longing for—the wrongly accused in need of a second chance? Is he innocent? As their attorney-client relationship transforms into something less than arm’s length, Liana is forced to confront fundamental questions of truth, faith, and love—and to decide who she wants to be.
'The good, bad and downright rotten parts of Australia's criminal justice system are put on trial by Dr Xanthé Mallett. With her clear-eyed logic and objectivity, this compelling book identifies reasonable doubts which must keep prosecutors and defence lawyers awake at night.' Hedley Thomas, host of the Teacher's Pet podcast We all put our faith in the criminal justice system. We trust the professionals: the police, the lawyers, the judges, the expert witnesses. But what happens when the process lets us down and the wrong person ends up in jail? Henry Keogh spent almost twenty years locked away for a murder that never even happened. Khalid Baker was imprisoned for the death of a man his best friend has openly admitted to causing. And the exposure of 'Lawyer X' Nicola Gobbo's double-dealing could lead to some of Australia's most notorious convictions being overturned. Forensic scientist Xanthé Mallett is used to dealing with the darker side of humanity. Now she's turning her skills and insight to miscarriages of justice and cases of Australians who have been wrongfully convicted. Exposing false confessions, polices biases, misplaced evidence and dodgy science, Reasonable Doubt is an expert's account of the murky underbelly of our justice system - and the way it affects us all.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1991.
Reasonable Doubts is the memoir of a religious skeptic's endeavor to rediscover her source of faith, from the ground up, as she regained the ability to read following her accident. On the way she encounters various religious philosophers and thinkers, such as Saadya, Maimonides, Henry Bergson, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, Rudolph Otto, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, who provide her with clues to a spiritual resolution. Berman utilizes scenes from the Book of Job as well as snapshots from her own life to explicate the various philosophical theories that make up the stops along her journey. Jewish literature regarding faith crises is sparse, leaving skeptics and sufferers alike secluded, precisely when they need to be embraced. Reasonable Doubts seeks to reassure those undergoing faith crises that they are not alone. Reasonable Doubts also provides philosophical suggestions towards solutions to some basic religious and spiritual quandaries. Ultimate conclusions to most of these issues, however, lie within the soul of reader. -- Amazon.com.
A man gets sixteen years for smuggling drugs into Italy. Guerrieri takes on the appeal, discovers the accused was a neo-Fascist thug, and ends up in bed with his beautiful half-Japanese wife...the gnawing boredom of routine.
I hate him… I hate that I fell in love with him, I hate that he didn’t love me back, and I hate the fact that I just made a life-altering decision just so I could get the hell away from him. He’d always said that he was unchangeable, heartless, and cold… I really should’ve believed him…
To be convicted of a crime in the United States, a person must be proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” But what is reasonable doubt? Even sophisticated legal experts find this fundamental doctrine difficult to explain. In this accessible book, James Q. Whitman digs deep into the history of the law and discovers that we have lost sight of the original purpose of “reasonable doubt.” It was not originally a legal rule at all, he shows, but a theological one. The rule as we understand it today is intended to protect the accused. But Whitman traces its history back through centuries of Christian theology and common-law history to reveal that the original concern was to protect the souls of jurors. In Christian tradition, a person who experienced doubt yet convicted an innocent defendant was guilty of a mortal sin. Jurors fearful for their own souls were reassured that they were safe, as long as their doubts were not “reasonable.” Today, the old rule of reasonable doubt survives, but it has been turned to different purposes. The result is confusion for jurors, and a serious moral challenge for our system of justice.
Judge Jackie Martin's job is to impose order on the most chaotic families in New York City. So how is she blindsided when the man she loves walks out on her? Jackie Martin is a woman whose intelligence and ambition have earned her a coveted position as a judge on the Manhattan Family Court-and left her lonely at age 39. When she meets Lou Greenberg, Jackie thinks she's finally found someone who will accept her exactly as she is. But when Lou's own issues, including an unresolved yearning for his ex-wife, make him bolt without explanation, Jackie must finally put herself under the same microscope as the people she judges. When their worlds collide in Jackie's courtroom, she learns that sometimes love's greatest gift is opening you up to love others. "This moving novel examines what it means to start over-with surprising consequences." -Nicola Kraus, bestselling co-author of The Nanny Diaries "Compelling women's fiction with just the right blend of romance and a quick wit . . . you'll be rooting for these perfectly flawed characters."--Rochelle Weinstein, Bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends. "Gentin deftly weaves a story of a complicated relationship with fascinating legal insight, exploring themes of parenting, love, and all the difficulties and nuances involved with both."-Susie Orman Schnall, author of We Came Here to Shine "Poignant and funny, Both Are True is a love story you'll think about long after the you turn the last page."--Elyssa Friedland, author of Last Summer At The Golden Hotel "A thought-provoking legal drama, Both Are True asks hard questions and wholly engages the reader."-Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise "A compelling page-turner, Both Are True is way too good to be legal! Enjoyed this book from start to finish."-Marilyn Simon Rothstein, award-winning author ofLift And Separate "A compelling drama laced with loves lost and loves found, Both Are True is women's fiction ripe for book club discussion."--Jennifer Klepper, USA Today bestselling author of Unbroken Threads "A fascinating sneak peek behind the scenes of life as a New York City Family Court judge."--Lainey Cameron, award-winning author of The Exit Strategy
Best Thriller and Mystery of the Year – Washington Post Best Thriller and Mystery of the Year – San Francisco Gate From the award-winning author of Quicksand, a gripping legal thriller that follows one woman’s conflicted efforts to overturn what may be a wrongful conviction. I'm giving you a chance to achieve every lawyer’s dream, said Sophia Weber’s old professor. Freeing an innocent man. Thirteen years ago, a fifteen-year-old girl was murdered. Doctor Stig Ahlin was sentenced to life in prison. But no one has forgotten the brutal crime. Ahlin is known as one of the most ruthless criminals. When Sophia Weber discovers critical flaws in the murder investigation, she decides to help Ahlin. But Sophia doing her utmost to get her client exonerated arouses many people's disgust. And the more she learns, the more difficult her job becomes. What kind of man is her client really? What has he done? And will she ever know the truth?
