American Idioms

Professor Charles Bordogna

CHAPTER 12: A Court Trial on Television

(Scene: Dae Hyun, a young student from Korea, and Chuck, his young American friend, are watching the proceedings of an important court trial on television).

Chuck: That guy is guilty! I'd lay money on it!

Dae Hyun: Then why is he claiming to be innocent?

Chuck: That's just the way things go. No one who's guilty ever admits to it. In this country, you're innocent until proven guilty.

Dae Hyun: What will happen if the jury finds him guilty?

Chuck: The judge will throw the book at him! He will do time for sure! He will wind up spending the rest of his days behind bars.

Dae Hyun: What if the jury can't decide whether he is innocent or guilty?

Chuck: They'll be a hung jury. He'll get off.

Dae Hyun: Why are you so certain that they will find him guilty?

Chuck: This snake in the grass perpetrated a huge stock fraud. He ripped off thousands of people by selling them junk bonds and made off with over a hundred-million dollars. I'm certain the jury's going to find him guilty and the judge is really going to stick it to him. I'd bet that the judge will dish out a sentence of thirty years to set an example.

Dae Hyun: That's quite a sentence for a non-violent crime.

Chuck: The jury has a score to settle with him, and they will ask for the maximum sentence.

Dae Hyun: What if the accused should plea guilty?

Chuck: They wouldn't let him off. He'll be under lock and key for a long time. There's so much evidence to look into. I look forward to a long and interesting trial. This will be the best entertainment on television for some time to come.

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