> Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: J Cullen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [PEN-L:11973] Re: Big mouth > Law and Order, like nearly all cop shows, is inherently conservative, but > at least it provides some nuances. It is likely to show judges throwing out > evidence for what appears to be capricious reasons, but the judges also > occasionally tilt toward the prosecution. My major criticism is that the > public defenders on Law and Order appear to be capable and smart enough to > file exclusionary motions, research cases and stay awake during court > proceedings. Here in Texas they are likely to pull in a civil lawyer off > the street and give him $500 to prepare and present a capital defense. The > New York Public Defender's Office may have more resources but I bet it's > squeezed, too. That's a good point. As I think of it, in L&O the prosecution always seems to have its hands full with the capabilities of the defense attorneys, whereas in the real world free legal defense is often unequal to the tasks it is given. > As I recall, didn't Michael Moriarity, who used to play the chief > prosecutor, walk off the show in a dispute with the producers because of > the rightward tilt? He did leave in some kind of principled dispute with management. If memory serves, it was in protest against the networks propitiation to forces calling for censorship or self-regulation (e.g., Tipper Gore, etc.) Obviously a show whose protagonists are cops is going to portray them in a sympathetic light. Most of the shows have bad cops too, or even protagonists who do bad things. MBS =================================================== Max B. Sawicky Economic Policy Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 202-775-0819 (fax) Washington, DC 20036 http://epn.org/sawicky Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone associated with the Economic Policy Institute other than this writer. ===================================================
