Drama and legal rhetoric: The perjury trials of Alger Hiss

Judges’ influence on trial outcomes and jurors’ experiences of justice: Reinscribing existing hierarchies through the sanctuary trial

“…Recently Schuetz and Snedaker (1988) developed the similar concepts of the "internal drama", which is created through witnesses' verbal recreation of events, and the "external drama", in which the judge mediates as attorneys argue their cases in court (p. 221). The Harbinger (1971) and Ritter (1985) concepts better explain this particular trial because the defense did not call witnesses.…”

“…Because even judges who share the same legal philosophy may have differing personal convictions about the nature of law and justice, they may express different accounts when trying cases. Chaly's (1982) and Ritter's (1985) analyses of the two Alger Hiss trials suggest that judges' perspectives are recognizable and affect trial outcomes distinctly even when the judges try the same case. Furthermore, a judge's influence on jurors is more potent if this account is internally consistent and corroborates his or her trial management approach.…”

Organizing the “unknown subject”: Los Alamos, espionage, and the politics of biography

“…10 These records in turn have been resources for dramatic courtroom performances that establish the guilt or innocence of spies, and contribute to their evolving intertextuality. 11 Over time, realist rhetoric surrounding these events (e.g., in news media coverage) has merged with discourses of popular culture that re-articulate the personae of "real" spies (e.g., as characters in historical fictions), construct fictional characters (such as James Bond), and generally mediate relationships between popular audiences and the evolving national security apparatus. 12 Los Alamos is a frequent site for this blending of fact and fiction.…”