Court TV You Be the Judge
Patrick J. Sauer
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2002 Warner Books
ISBN: 0446611042

You Be the Judge -- a compilation of 100 silly & serious actual cases. Readers judge for themselves -- was justice served?

Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

How judicious is our judicial system?
Is justice served in all cases or does justice actually depend upon what the judge had for breakfast?

Patrick J. Sauer has compiled 100 of the most offbeat cases presented in Court TV, cases ranging from the silly to the preposterous, from complex to intriguing, & has left it to the Reader to judge how a case should be decided.

The various cases presented tickle the legal/judicial mind of the reader, & though presented in a humorous style, it showcases how our judicial system falters in many an occasion. Cases presented include a charge of assault against Bill Cosby by an unwelcome paparazzo; parents of a boy suing a store owner where a soda machine fell on their son & killed him, while he was trying to steal soda from it, & a preposterous trial of a woman who sued her employers for putting her in a room with a co-worker suffering from excessive flatulence.

The compilation is witty & wide-ranging, from civil law & torts to privacy & anti-trust laws. Most such books do not rise above that of anecdotal rehashing. Good works on satire & humour in law are scarce. Save for Leland Gregory's Presumed Ignorant, a classic compilation of funny & dumb decisions taken by our legislators & judges, & Eric Choodak's (Ed.) It Takes Two Judges to Try A Cow and Other Strange Legal Twists, about the quirks & flaws of the legal system, there have been few books that rise above the sensational anecdote. Court Tv: You Be the Judge, adequately fills the vacuum.

A light read, recommended for a good evening's worth of wry chuckles.
(08/04/02)

Narayan
2002©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org