The Vanishing Trial: The Era of Courtroom Performers and the Perils of Its Passing

About this book

Winner of the 2021 IRDA Prize for Non-Fiction Crime and the IBPA Ben Franklin Silver Prize for Political and Current Events. People often ask me what it is like to defend high profile cases in the courtroom. There is now an easy answer. Read The Vanishing Trial. - Ben Brafman described by CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin as the best criminal defense lawyer in the country If you are a lawyer or aspire to be one youll love this book but it has practical advice and insights for anyone interested in criminal justice reform. - Forbes "A compelling read not ruined by having been dipped into the marinade of the writers own ego. - New York Law Journal June 19 2020 Trial by jury has historically been the citizenrys protection against prosecutorial and judicial overreach. However jury trials have been disappearing as criminal defendants in federal court are more often than not pleading guilty instead of testing the legal system. In The Vanishing Trial accomplished lawyer Robert Katzberg explores why trials have become rarities in todays federal courtrooms and examines the consequences of a justice system without juries. With reflections from his four-decade courtroom careerfirst prosecuting federal criminal cases in New York and then defending high-profile cases across the countryKatzberg recreates a time when trials were commonplace when average citizens played a key role in the administration of justice when young lawyers honed significant trial skills and when veteran courtroom stars performed their craft at the highest level. Precise thorough and compellingly honest The Vanishing Trial describes the realities of a courtroom world known only to insiders one that cannot exist without jury trials. Finally it provides readers with a roadmap to reclaim their role in preserving justice in America.