The 1969 trial of the Chicago 8 (later 7) pitted a motley assortment of hippies, yippies (notably Abbie Hoffman) and other leftists against a stern federal judge, Julius J. Hoffman. There was a parade of celebrity witnesses (Norman Mailer, Country Joe McDonald, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mayor Richard J. Daley).The resulting courtroom theater played out as farce — with one defendant, Bobby Seale, gagged and bound in the courtroom. A courtroom sketch of the restrained Seale on the evening TV news is one of my vivid childhood memories. This compilation of transcripts and courtroom sketches was released in paperback in 1970.
The Court: Let the record show that Mr. Hoffman stood up, lifted his shirt up and bared his body in the presence of the jury —
Mr. Kuntsler: Your Honor, that is Mr. Hoffman’s way.
The Court: —- dancing around. (Laughter in the courtroom).
Mr. Kuntsler: Your Honor, that is Mr. Hoffman’s way.
The Court: It is a bad way in a courtroom.
Mr. Kuntsler: I remember President Johnson bared his body to the nation.
The Court: Well, that may be.
Mr. Kuntsler: Over national television.
The Court: Maybe that is why he isn’t President any more.
[Originally posted on my discontinued This Old Book Tumblr.]