Adam and I just received another graduate degree in small town justice. In a summary judgment hearing in a small county court, the judge didn’t even try to disguise his bias, acknowledging on the record that his upcoming decision against our clients would almost certainly be bounced back by the appellate court. So why go there in the first place? The answer is actually very simple. In small counties, everyone of significance knows every other person of any significance in the county. And not just peripherally. Going back many generations, families intermarried, fellow elders in the First Baptist Church, wives best friends. So making a ruling in favor of your local heroes ingratiates you to the the leadership of your community, a factor that is particularly important in election years. Sure, the big-city boys on the appellate court will get it all wrong and overrule the local wisdom, but by golly, Bobby, I stood up for you. Now my hands are tied. It’s all just part of the game that passes for justice in these small towns, a game they never manage to teach you in law school.

Oh, well, we will win the case in the end, and if we get lucky, we might even be able to force the trial back to Harris County, where the Law still means something to judges. In the meantime, I guess I can just chalk it all up to more fodder for the next Claire Tulley book…