00Sex 2: Eye of the Hurricane Page #10

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and circumvent|the State Court of NewJersey.

Your Honour must,|according to the law...

drop this entire petition|where it belongs-- into the garbage.

Your Honour, we implore you|to at least hear us...

before making your ruling.

Mr Beldock, I hope you understand...

the implications ofyour action.

That is a very slippery slope...

you"re trying to climb.

- We do, Your Honour.|- Proceed.

In 1 976, the State of NewJersey"s...

chief investigator ofthis case,|Dominick Barbieri...

resigned because he|discovered the truth.

He discovered|that this case was built...

on a foundation|offorgeries and lies.

Those lies show the guilt|not of Rubin Carter...

but ofa corrupt police force|and the prosecutor"s office.

And now this wall of lies|has been destroyed...

so that this court|may fi nally see the truth...

and, pray God,|not turn its eyes away.

This court is|not unmoved by your...

eloquence and passion...

but the prosecution is correct.

This petition|contains new evidence...

that has not been presented|before the State Court of NewJersey...

and there is no legal argument|that you could make...

which would allow me to consider it.

Therefore, you have|two choices before you:

I can send this case|back to the state court...

and you can present the evidence...

or, ifyou insist...

on, uh, proceeding...

this evidence will be lost|to you forever.

You understand the choice|before you, Mr Beldock?

Your Honour, may I request|a moment to confer with my client?

That"s the smartest thing|you"ve said all morning, Counsellor.

Rubin, listen to me.|Thisjudge is telling us|as clearly as he possibly can...

that he"s going|to rule against you.

- This is our last stand, Myron.|- Rubin, I am begging you--

Let"s proceed.

Your Honour, my client wishes|to continue with this proceeding.

Uh, do you do so formally...

and, uh, are you aware ofthe, uh...

significance ofsuch an action?

We do so formally.

- Proceed.|- But, Your Honour--

- Yes?|- Uh, the state is not prepared...

to proceed to argue|the merits ofthis case.

Why not?

Well, we, we assumed...

that the court would not hear|this petition based on new evidence.

You assumed wrong.

Proceed.

So, Your Honour, this case|was poisoned from the start.

No evidence.

No witnesses,|except admitted liars.

Only a racially charged atmosphere...

which was fanned by the police|and the prosecutors...

who knew the truth|and distorted it...

and subverted it and destroyed it...

to convict an innocent man.

What more can the State|of NewJersey do, Your Honour...

than give a man not one...

but twojury trials?

And nothing has changed since then.

Mr Carter is, and always has been,|a menace to society.

He"s been in and out ofjail|his whole life.

A criminal.|He"s a violent man.

His whole life has been violence.

And it is our duty, Your Honour,|to continue to protect...

the general public|from such a man.

Thankyou.

I"ve heard your statements.|Uh, I"ll take them under consideration.

Now, is there anything else|that counsel wishes to add...

before I make my fi nal ruling?

- What are you doing?|- I want to say something.|- What are you gonna say?

I want to--|I need to say something.

Uh, Your Honour, m-my--|my client, Mr Carter...

wishes to address the court.

Request granted.

Thankyou, Your Honour.

I was a, um...

prizefi ghter.

Myjob was to...

take all the hatred...

and skill that I could muster...

and send a man to his destruction,|and I did that.

But Rubin ""Hurricane"" Carter|is no murderer.

Twenty years I"ve spent|locked up in a cage...

considered a danger to society.

Not treated like a human being.

Not treated like a person.

Counted 1 5 times a day.

I serve my time|in a house ofjustice...

and yet, there"s|nojustice for me.

So, I askyou|to consider the evidence.

Don"t turn away from the truth.|Don"t turn away from your conscience.

Please, don"t ignore the law.|No, em-embrace that...

higher principle for which|the law was meant to serve.

Justice. That"s all|I ask for, Your Honour.

Justice.

This court is in recess.

Oh, thankyou.

It"s good.

Come a long way,|huh, little brother?

Yeah.

Look, Rubin, I just want you to know|ifthis doesn"t work...

I"m bustin" you outta here.

- You are?|- Yeah. That"s right.

I"m bustin" you outta here.

What was the fi rst book|you ever bought?

Yours.

You think that was an accident?

- No.|- No, me neither.

Lesra, short for Lazarus.

""He who has risen from the dead.""

Rubin.

Genesis, chapter 29, verse 32.

""Behold a son.""

You put those two together, Lesra,|and you have...

""Behold a son who is risen...

from the dead.""

That"s no accident.

Hate put me in prison.

Love"s gonna bust me out.

Just in case love doesn"t,|I"m gonna bust you outta here.

Yeah.

You already have, Lesra.

All rise.

This Federal District Court|of NewJersey is now in session.

Judge Sarokin presiding.

Be seated.

This court does not arrive|at its conclusion lightly.

On one hand, Rubin Carter|has submitted a document...

alleging racial prejudice...

coercion oftestimony|and withholding ofevidence.

On the other hand...

Mr Carter was tried twice...

by two differentjuries...

and those convictions|were subsequently upheld...

by the NewJersey|State Supreme Court.

He"s gonna rule against us.|Rubin"s gonna lose.

However, the extensive record...

clearly demonstrates|to this court...

that Rubin Carter"s conviction...

was predicated upon an appeal...

to racism...

rather than reason...

and concealment...

rather than disclosure.

To permit convictions to stand...

which have|as their sole foundation...

appeals to racial prejudice...

is to commit...

a violation...

ofthe Constitution...

as heinous as the crimes|for which the defendants...

were tried...

and convicted.

I hereby order Rubin Carter...

- released from prison...|- Yes!

henceforth, from this day forward.

Yes! Yes.

This court is adjourned.

Hey, Rube, you made-- you made it, man!|You"re free! Can you stand it?

You did it, Rube.|You did it, man.

- Yeah, huh?|- Yeah!

Rubin Carterhasjust been freed.

All right!|You"re free, Rubin!

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