Now for a little cheer from Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, who has been working hard as a volunteer at a shelter in Lake Providence:

"Jury of Your Peers"

I just got off the phone with my cousin Katherine in Arkansas. Katherine's one of those people I call when I need a laugh. She's a good story-teller and she works as a stenographer at the courthouse, so she always has a couple good ones to tell.

This morning she was telling me about a recent case that came to trial. The defendant is not very well liked in their town. Katherine said to change the names here if I used her story, so we'll call him Lenny. From all accounts, Lenny has been a pain in the town's collective back side for a long time. Everyone knows his word is worthless and his handshake means nothing. He'd rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth.

Lenny's lawyer knew how the town felt about his client. He tried to have the case moved to another jurisdiction but the judge denied the appeal so they went to trial. After three days of intense testimony the jury retired. Katherine said the door hadn't shut on them good when they sent word to the judge that they had reached a verdict. A few minutes everyone watched while the jury filed back in the courtroom and took their seats.

The judge addressed the foreman, "Sir, has the jury reached a decision?"

"We have your honor."

"Would you please read it to the court?"

"Yes sir, in our opinion, we don't think Lenny did it because we don't believe evidence has been shown that he was there. But we would like the court to know that we're all pretty sure he would have if he'd been given a shot at it."