There were, however, other cases – cases in which the newcomer did not back down but held eloquent speeches, in a somewhat over-loud voice, stating that here the paragraph of the law must yield precedence; he would then instruct his co-judges that the meaning was more important than the letter of the law. He would quote Hitler. Then, with the gesture of a romantic stage hero, he would insist on some untenable decision. It was piteous to observe the faces of the old Kammergerichtsrats as this went on. They looked at their notes with an expression of indescribable dejection, while their fingers
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