The Verdict Page #34

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JUDGE:

I'm going to uphold that.

ANGLE:

Galvin getting to his feet.

GALVIN:

I object, your Honor...

JUDGE:

Overruled...

GALVIN:

Exception!

JUDGE:

Noted. Thank you.

(to Jury)

Miss Costello was a rebuttal witness.

Her sole rebuttal was the document,

which has been disallowed...

ANGLE:

Galvin, silent, fuming, sitting at the table.

JUDGE (V.O.)

Her entire testimony must be stricken

from the record. You shouldn't have

heard it, but you did. Now, that was

my mistake... and you must strike it

from your minds, give it no weight.

Galvin takes a sheet of legal paper and starts writing on

it.

INT. BISHOP BROPHY'S SUITE - DAY

ALITO:

Legally it's over. Concannon was

brilliant.

BROPHY:

Tell me about Kaitlin Costello.

ALITO:

There's nothing to tell. It's been

stricken from the record.

BROPHY:

I know. Did you believe her?

INT. COURTROOM - JUDGE HOYLE'S P.O.V. - FULL COURTROOM - DAY

All looking slightly to their right.

ANGLE:

JUDGE SWEENEY Mr. Galvin...?

ANGLE - GALVIN

In front of the full jury box. Beat.

GALVIN:

You know, so much of the time we're

lost. We say, 'Please, God, tell us

what is right. Tell us what's true.

There is no justice. The rich win,

the poor are powerless...' We become

tired of hearing people lie. After a

time we become dead. A little dead.

We start thinking of ourselves as

victims.

(pause)

And we become victims.

(pause)

And we become weak... and doubt

ourselves, and doubt our

institutions... and doubt our

beliefs... we say for example, 'The

law is a sham... there is no law...

I was a fool for having believed

there was.'

(beat)

But today you are the law. You are

the law... And not some book and not

the lawyers, or the marble statues

and the trappings of the court...

all that they are is symbols.

(beat)

Of our desire to be just...

(beat)

All that they are, in effect, is a

prayer...

(beat)

...a fervent, and a frightened prayer.

In my religion we say, 'Act as if

you had faith, and faith will be

given to you.'

(beat)

If... If we would have faith in

justice, we must only believe in

ourselves.

(beat)

And act with justice.

(beat)

And I believe that there is justice

in our hearts.

(beat)

Thank you.

He stands still a moment, then surveys the still courtroom.

INT. COURTHOUSE CORRIDOR - DAY

Laura in the corridor, watching him.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

The Jurors filing in from the Jury Room.

ANGLE:

Concannon, Young Lawyer, Dr. Towler, Dr. Marx at Defense

table.

Young Lawyer scribbles a note, passes it to Concannon, who

ignores it.

ANGLE:

Plaintiff's table. Galvin looking at the Jury, Mickey at the

other end of the table.

JUDGE:

Have you reached a verdict?

FOREMAN (V.O.)

We have, your Honor.

ANGLE:

The Jury Box. The Jurors seated, the FOREMAN standing.

FOREMAN:

Your Honor, we have agreed to hold

for the Plaintiff... but on the size

of the award, are we bound...

JUDGE:

You are not bound by anything, other

than your good judgment, based on

the evidence.

ANGLE:

Galvin, totally defeated. Nods his head sadly, as if

commiserating philosophically, with himself. Mickey looks at

him in grief, with sympathy.

FOREMAN (V.O.)

Are we permitted to award an amount

greater than the amount the Plaintiff

asked for?

Galvin slowly raises his head, turns and looks at the Jury,

Mickey begins to smile.

JUDGE:

Yes. You are.

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