Special Closing Arguments Quiz

Live from the Ted Stevens Trial, Day 20--Part One

Washington, D.C.—

I have seen closing arguments at perhaps 50 jury trials, and these were the strongest I have observed.

I want to ruminate on the content, the high-tech graphics, and the theatrics, and I will write a full report tomorrow. If I’m feeling bold, I will hazard some predictions.

In the meantime, here’s a quiz in three sections. Based on the knowledge you’ve gained from reading this blog, please identify which side asked which question during closing arguments today:

1. Is it fair to be a Monday morning quarterback evaluating what someone did six, seven, or eight years ago? PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE _____

2. Who would you rather trust, Colin Powell or Bill Allen? PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE ______

3. Can a man live honorably all his life until age 84 and then be branded a criminal? PROSECUTION ___ DEFENSE ___

4. Isn't the price always right if it’s free? PROSECUTION ____ DEFENSE ____

5. If Catherine Stevens controls the teepee in the Stevens household, why is the furniture that Bill Allen provided to the Girdwood chalet in 2001 that she has always hated still there seven years after it first arrived? PROSECUTION ____ DEFENSE _____

6. How long do you have to keep an item that was loaned to you before it morphs into a gift—would it be three months, a year, or longer? PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE ______

7. Did Santa Claus and his elves come down from the North Pole to leave the wraparound deck, the gas grille, the rope lighting, and the big black ugly furniture at Ted Stevens’ chalet in Girdwood? PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE _____

8. Could you sleep at night if you made a major decision based on the word of Bill Allen? PROSECUTION ___ DEFENSE ___

Which side made which of the following statements during closing arguments today?

A. We are so afraid of convicting an innocent man in this country that we have the amazing rule that no one can be convicted unless each member of the jury agrees unanimously on each element of a charged crime. PROSECUTION ____ DEFENSE ____

B. The standard that the prosecution must meet of proving that a criminal defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt cannot mean beyond all doubt, because that would be impossible. PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE ______

Which side wishes tonight that it had asked which of the following questions during closing argument?

i. If a friend of yours stole your furniture and replaced it with furniture you hated, would you keep going on vacation each year with them? PROSECUTION _____ DEFENSE ______

ii. Why didn’t Rocky Williams testify at this trial? PROSECUTION ____ DEFENSE ______

The reader e-mailing me at the address at cliff.groh@gmail.com with the most correct answers gets an appropriate prize. Deadline is Thursday, October 24, 2008 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.