The first in a series of public defender-designed and produced award certificates. Click on the image to enlarge and print. If you have an award suggestion, please comment or email us!
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Of Moose and Men
For years, the only award presented by our office was the "Moose" award, in the early days a mere title, but later upgraded to a beer stein with a pewter, masculine moose head on the lid. Very North Idaho, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, Lo, these many years ago, a public defender in This Here County had a trial involving a Moose Charge. We like to think that no case is unwinnable, but the Moose case was looking like a tough one: audio, video, confession, etc. And the cocky, young public defender faced losing his first trial. The defender sat with his client, dejected, as witness after witness came in to tell the jury about some aspect of his client's guilt.
Even as he stood up to present his closing argument, the young defender had no idea what he could possibly say, when inspiration struck: He argued that the state had failed to prove whether the moose was a male or female, and because each moose gender had a different hunting season (although both male and female were banned on the date in question), the state had failed to prove that the moose was a moose that was out of season. The logic held together just long enough for the jury to find the client "not guilty." And thus began the Moose: If a public defender wins a case through a clever and unexpected manipulation of the law or facts, it is referred to in This Here County as a "Moose."
Anyway, Lo, these many years ago, a public defender in This Here County had a trial involving a Moose Charge. We like to think that no case is unwinnable, but the Moose case was looking like a tough one: audio, video, confession, etc. And the cocky, young public defender faced losing his first trial. The defender sat with his client, dejected, as witness after witness came in to tell the jury about some aspect of his client's guilt.
Even as he stood up to present his closing argument, the young defender had no idea what he could possibly say, when inspiration struck: He argued that the state had failed to prove whether the moose was a male or female, and because each moose gender had a different hunting season (although both male and female were banned on the date in question), the state had failed to prove that the moose was a moose that was out of season. The logic held together just long enough for the jury to find the client "not guilty." And thus began the Moose: If a public defender wins a case through a clever and unexpected manipulation of the law or facts, it is referred to in This Here County as a "Moose."
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