Some of you have inquired into the rest of our coverage of last week’s Trial of Hamlet, presided over by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Thanks for the reminder.
Well, here it is. It’s ridiculously late, and it’s probably of interest only to folks who also attended the event.
If you feel like it, you can check it out after the jump.

Continue reading “The Supreme Court Hears the Trial of Hamlet (Part 2)”

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at last night’s Kennedy Center event, The Trial of Hamlet, presided over by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. It was highly entertaining and quite educational, on a number of subjects: Hamlet, literary criticism, psychiatry, and the art of advocacy, among others.
We’re planning to write more about the evening later. For now, we’ll give you the bottom line: Who won?
The prosecution team consisted of Miles Ehrlich, a former federal prosecutor (and law clerk to Justice Kennedy), and Cristina Arguedas, a California criminal defense attorney. Hamlet was represented by Abbe Lowell, the prominent D.C. defense lawyer, and Catherine Crier, a Court TV host and former Texas state judge. The defense argued that Hamlet should not be held criminally responsible for the killing of Polonius by reason of insanity.
After testimony from psychiatric experts and arguments from counsel, the jury of 12 retired to deliberate. In the end, they emerged deadlocked, voting 6-6 in the case. After receiving the jury’s verdict, Justice Kennedy, without missing a beat, said something like, “Hamlet, please rise. I hereby remand you to the pages of literature, where you will continue to intrigue us for centuries to come….”
Justice Kennedy’s “remand” speech was so eloquent that it sounded scripted. Many audience members were left wondering whether the outcome was rigged — whether the jury was going to be a hung jury no matter what, in order to demonstrate the complexity, ambiguity, and richness of Hamlet as a literary text.
As it turns out, however, the jury vote was NOT rigged. They truly were deadlocked, by the end of their deliberation time (which, due to the schedule for the evening, was admittedly not that long).
And don’t blame Justice Kennedy for their indecision! While the jury was deliberating, AMK was moderating a discussion about the play with the participants in the trial, in front of the Kennedy Center audience.
Despite the frustratingly ambiguous verdict — we must admit, we like our entertainment with closure — we had a good time. More discussion will follow later. If you attended and have thoughts to share, please feel free to email us.
Sane or not, Hamlet a hit in Washington trial [Reuters]
Earlier: Justice Kennedy and The Trial of Hamlet

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy has been described by many — e.g., Jeffrey Rosen — as a Hamlet-like justice, who agonizes over every decision. And later this week — perhaps this was his therapist’s idea? — Justice Kennedy will preside over the trial of his dramatic alter ego.
From the NYT:

[Hamlet's] criminal responsibility — whether he was sane at the time of [the] killing [of Polonius] — is the central question of “The Trial of Hamlet,” to be heard here on Thursday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The mock trial is a Washington wonk’s dream, stacked with Shakespeare-loving luminaries. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court, an enthusiastic Shakespeare aficionado who conceived of the idea, will preside over the trial.

“What you realize is that you know Hamlet better than you know some real people, because he tells you exactly what he is thinking,” said Justice Kennedy in a telephone interview. “The trial provides a fascinating, oblique way in which to examine Hamlet, the legal process and the intellect of Shakespeare, who continues to speak to us in our own time.”

It should be a great event, especially if one goes by ticket sales. It sold out, got moved to a larger venue, and sold out again.
We’d love to attend; alas, it’s sold out. If you have an extra ticket that you’re looking to sell, please email us. Thanks!
Was Dane’s Madness Just Method? Jury to Decide [New York Times]
The Supreme Court Hears the Trial of Hamlet [Kennedy Center]