Johnnie Cochran Quotes

Courtroom dramas can be boring.

I will go to what they call a court. Only they call it a court.

For every criminal case, the judge must construct a perfect syllogism: the major premise must be the general law; the minor premise, whether or not the action in question is in compliance with the law; and the conclusion, acquittal or punishment.

It is surely easier to confess a murder over a cup of coffee than in front of a jury.

I knew I was coming home, I thought they would consider acquittal, I was disappointed that they didn't.

When we watch courtroom dramas, we tend to identify with the kindhearted defense attorney, but give us the power, and we become like hanging judges.

I agree with Scott Turow: A courtroom is inherently dramatic. You walk into court - it's like an ER, you know? Life and death is going on there. And it's moment-by-moment, and it's packed with energy. And even though you think you know what a witness is going to say, you can be wrong. Witnesses surprise you.

I can write dramas that are about inside and outside the courtroom.

You're certain to get a decision in a trial.

The court is like a palace of marble; it's composed of people very hard and very polished.

One of the hardest things to believe is that anyone will abandon the effort to escape a charge of murder. It is extremely important to suspend disbelief on that. If you don't, the story is spoiled.

Courtrooms contain every symbol of authority that a set designer could imagine. Everyone stands up when you come in. You wear a costume identifying you as, if not quite divine, someone special.

Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.

I didn't attend any of the court proceedings.

From childhood on, I did sit in the courtroom watching my father argue cases and talk to juries.

Scientists search for truth. Philosophers search for morality. A criminal trial searches for only one result: proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

I'm a prosecutor first and foremost, and as a judge, I put people in jail for extended periods of time when that was appropriate.

When I walk into a courtroom, I feel like I'm home.

I don't really want to have any part of getting guilty people off.

A jury of my countrymen, it is true, have found me guilty of the crime of which I stood indicted. For this I entertain not the slightest feeling of resentment towards them.

I enjoyed the courtroom as just another stage but not so amusing as Broadway.

The criminal law tries to define moral standards.

I know what it means to prosecute people.

I think trials are inherently dramatic and interesting and are always going to be part of the news.

Life as a barrister never was terribly real to me, and courtrooms were always a place of fantasy to me. They had nothing to do with discovering the truth, really, of course.