This book challenges the recently established consensus that the trial was a carefully prepared and executed judicial process in which the judges were amenable to reasonable arguments. Thomas More's treason trial in 1535 is one of history's most famous court cases, yet never before have all the major documents been collected, translated, and analyzed by a team of legal and Tudor scholars. This edition serves asan important sourcebook and concludes with a 'docudrama' reconstructing the course of the trial based on these documents. Legal experts H. A. Kelly and R. H. Helmholz take different approaches to the legalities of this trial, and four experienced judges [including Justice of the Queen's Bench Sir Michael Tugendhat] discuss the trial with some disagreements - notably on the meaning and requirement of 'malice' called for in the Parliamentary Act of Supremacy. More's own accounts of his interrogations in prison are analyzed, and the trial's procedures are compared to and contrasted with 16th-century concepts of natural law and also modern judicial practices and principles. The book is a 'must read' not only for students of law and Tudor history but also for all concerned with justice and due process. As a whole, the book challenges Duncan Derrett's conclusions that the trial was conducted in accord with contemporary legal norms and that More was convicted only on the single charge of denying Parliament the power to declare Henry VIII Supreme Head of the English Church [testified to by Richard Rich] - a position that has been uniformly accepted by historians since 1964. HENRY ANSGAR KELLY is past Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA. LOUIS W. KARLIN is an attorney with the California Court of Appeal and Fellow of the Center for Thomas More Studies, University of Dallas. GERARD B. WEGEMER is Director of the Center for Thomas More Studies.

A Man for All Seasons dramatises the conflict between King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More. It depicts the confrontation between church and state, theology and politics, absolute power and individual freedom. Throughout the play Sir Thomas More's eloquence and endurance, his purity, saintliness and tenacity in the face of ever-growing threats to his beliefs and family, earn him status as one of modern drama's greatest tragic heroes. The play was first staged in 1960 at the Globe Theatre in London and was voted New York's Best Foreign Play in 1962. In 1966 it was made into an Academy Award-winning film by Fred Zinneman starring Paul Scofield."A Man for All Seasons is a stark play, sparse in its narrative, sinewy in its writing, which confirms Mr Bolt as a genuine and solid playwright, a force in our awakening theatre." (Daily Mail)

Two outstanding Texas trial lawyers—one of whom is now an equally respected district judge—have written On the Jury Trial, a “must have” reference for any trial lawyer aspiring to excellence or seeking to maintain it. Thomas M. Melsheimer and Judge Craig Smith have crafted a narrative-driven advice guide for trial lawyers to hone their craft. Chapter topics include voir dire, opening statement, preparing witnesses, cross examination, using exhibits, closing argument, jury research, and more, with excellent examples and “do’s and don’ts” provided throughout. Think of this book as the senior law partner’s memo to associates on how to really try a case. Looking for fly-on-the-wall insight into world-class trial preparation and strategy? Here it is. A behind-the-scenes tour of the inner workings of the judicial process? This book has you covered. Its combination of advice, illustration, and commentary is every bit as valuable as it is unique. Every litigator should have this book on the shelf, no matter the state in which they practice. The jury trial is a critical component of our democratic society, and its use in civil cases is unique to the United States. It is truly an example of our participatory democracy in action, and yet the jury trial is under attack from all sides, most notably from special interest groups who seek to have more cases decided by individual judges or by arbitration. These efforts have resulted in a decline of civil jury trials all over the country. A decline in the jury trial is a decline in justice. To preserve the jury trial, we must preserve the skills of trying a case effectively and efficiently. On the Jury Trial, in no small way, will add significantly to that effort.

This book explores why juries have declined in power and how the federal government and the states have taken the jury's authority.

Thomas Erskine (1750-1823) was one of the greatest advocates ever to appear in an English court of law. As King’s Counsel he was involved in many celebrated trials, including the prosecution of John Horne Took for seditious libel and of Queen Caroline for adultery. His other notable achievements include the successful defence of Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, which cost him the post of Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales. Erskine also served as Member of Parliament for Portsmouth and for just one year as Lord Chancellor. Latterly the First Baron Erskine, this book covers his controversial career and rise to high office. An ideal companion to Sir William Garrow (Waterside Press 2010). Reviews 'This commendable study by John Hostettler deserves a wide readership as the Scots may still reasonably take pride in the achievements of Lord Erskine of Restormel Castle (in the Fowey Valley, Cornwall) and English lawyers may understandably recall with respect his marked abilities amongst other great lawyers of the era': SCOLAG 'Almost 200 years after Thomas Erskine's death most barristers and solicitor advocates still aspire to his legendary oratorical and forensic skills. Those who are not familiar with the man would be well advised to read this biography without delay': Law Society Gazette 'This work is of more than historical interest. It shows how the advocate can affect the law, and by doing so, the constitution': Counsel 'Thomas Erskine was one of the bar's greatest names. Few however know this extraordinary story of the man who traced his way from poverty through the navy all the way to the bar and Parliament to the House of Lords and the Woolsack. John Hostettler's biography explores this astonishing man and his even more astonishing life': Litigation 'With eloquent invective Erskine mesmerized juries': Justice of the Peace Author John Hostettler is one of the 1st’s leading legal biographers. He was a practising solicitor in London for thirty-five years as well as undertaking political and civil liberties cases in Nigeria, Germany and Aden An ideal companion to Sir William Garrow (Waterside Press 2010).