Sentence First — Verdict Afterwards

The jury foreman greeted the press on the courthouse steps. “Everything I do during this, I’m coordinating with the defendant’s counsel. There will be no difference between the defendant’s position and our position as to how to handle this.” Then he stepped inside to take his seat on the jury as the trial was about to begin.

As a publisher, I’d have to reject any novel that included such a scene as being too unrealistic. American courts, unlike those of some countries like, for example,...