CIRCU$ COURT$: How Racism and Greed Poisoned the American Legal System, and What You Can Do About It

by Sheryl Weikal

"How can they do that?"

After over a decade practicing law on behalf of marginalized people, Sheryl Weikal wrote this book to answer that question - the one posed most often by her clients facing eviction, foreclosure, and incarceration. After watching decades of copaganda shows like Law and Order, people do not know how their courts work - but more importantly, they do not know why their courts work. Why are filing fees so high? Why does the public defender cost money in 42 states? Why was the bar exam created? Why do evictions happen so fast? Is the system truly broken, or does it work the way it was designed? This is a book written for people who want to know why the system works the way it does - and what you can do about it.

Genres: Nonfiction

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Amy Marschall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adding a review soon - the short version is READ THIS BOOK

[Hope F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book WILL make you angry, if you care about justice. Weikal writes candidly and persuasively about all the ways our modern American legal system is unjust, and she cites her sources!

I knew racism was a problem in the U.S., but I hadn't realized just how much of what we take for granted today has its roots in racism. And I don't mean in the sense of "yeah, those guys were racists, but they built a good system anyway," I mean, they literally said that they were setting things up to prevent Black people (and other marginalized groups) from getting any kind of power or rights. It's not OK! And a fix is long overdue.

Greed, the other poison from the subtitle, has done its fair share of damage as well. Just to take one example: Do you think it's appropriate for law firms to contribute money (LOTS of money) to the judges they appear before? It's not a hard question or gray area. I think it's pretty obviously inappropriate. But in today's America, it's not just allowed, it's expected.

The really great thing about this book is that it doesn't just leave you angry and depressed. Rather, Weikal gives us concrete things anybody can do to move our system in a better direction. None of it is easy, but it's all possible, and she's in the perfect position to tell us where to direct our efforts for maximum effectiveness.

In short ... EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend! This is a book that condemns the US legal system from start to finish. It is not objective but it is based in facts and real experiences. I read the book because I followed Sheryl on social media and knew I valued her perspective as a lawyer. She is not a public defender, but a pay-what-you-can defense attorney for the poor in Illinois. She had to fight the state to be allowed to appear before IL courts as a transgender woman. I work professionally on housing issues, so I can vouch that what she says about eviction and foreclosure processes is true, but the book provided rich details about why things might be this way and what it's like to participate in such a dehumanizing system. It sometimes might seem over the top to a reader who is less familiar with housing courts, but it really is not. I am glad that I knew that, because the later chapters on criminal justice were just as eye-popping and I learned a ton. The book is now on the small shelf behind my work desk where it's visible to anyone I'm on video with.