Objection!: How High-Priced Defense Attorneys, Celebrity Defendants, and a 24/7 Media Have Hijacked Our Criminal Justice System by Nancy Grace, Diane Clehane

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Our criminal justice system has become high-stakes reality TV. Nobody knows that better than charismatic Court TV commentator Nancy Grace. And nobody feels more fervent about the importance of our judicial system that this former Atlanta special prosecutor, who began her legal career after the murder of her fiancé. In Objection!, she presents her outspoken critique of today's legal culture, using high-profile court cases -- involving Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, Robert Blake, Kobe Bryant, Martha Stewart, and others -- to prove her points.

From the Publisher

Now in paperback! New York Times bestselling author Nancy Grace, the acclaimed victims’ rights advocate, throws the book at the criminal justice system
A compelling and gutsy read, Objection! captures Nancy Grace’s inimitable voice which has become a favorite of millions of television viewers and radio listeners around the country.
In Objection!, Nancy makes very clear her views on the imbalance of fairness in today’s judicial system. In an arena where celebrities are released without just punishment and innocent victims are vilified by power-hungry defense attorneys, Nancy seeks to even the scales with her unique, passionate approach.
Behind-the-scenes details from the cases:
-Scott Peterson
-Martha Stewart
-Kobe Bryant
-Jason Williams
-Phil Spector
-Robert Blake
Nancy Grace joined Court TV from the Atlanta Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, where she served for a decade as Special Prosecutor, compiling a perfect record of nearly 100 felony convictions at trial and no losses. Nancy is currently the host of Closing Arguments on Court TV and substitute host of Larry King Live on CNN. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss today’s most important trials.

Publishers Weekly

Grace, an ex-prosecutor who for years has been a fixture on Court TV and now CNN, attacks criminals and their lawyers in this fiercely opinionated critique of the criminal justice system. Grace became a prosecutor after her fianc was murdered and claims to have achieved a 100% conviction rate. A political shuffle cost her that job, but God, she believes, led her to the airwaves to continue her battle of good against evil. Defense attorneys, she contends, are con artists whose job is "to obscure the truth from the jury." Other targets of the author's wrath are celebrity defendants who, she says, receive special treatment at trials and in sentencing; greedy citizens who talk their way onto juries to gather material for instant books; and hucksters who sell memorabilia collected from depraved criminals. Grace inveighs against those who profit from high-profile trials, but fails to note that her own role as television's pro-prosecution talking head could be criticized on that ground. Grace energetically argues that television cameras should be allowed at all trials. No matter how self-serving this proposal may be when made by a prominent member of the "24/7 media," the idea is intriguing and enlivens what is otherwise a fairly predictable and angry rehash of O.J., Peterson, et al. Agent, Frank Weymann. (June 8) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

With the help of celebrity journalist Clehane, Court TV commentator and former Atlanta prosecutor Grace has written a scathing if scattershot critique of the U.S. criminal justice system. Sparing only the prosecutors, she lambastes defense attorneys, judges, jurors, and the media in equal measure, making broad generalizations about their biases based on her personal trial experiences and the 1980 murder of her fianc . Expect acidic commentary on such recent tabloid fodder as the celebrity trials of Martha Stewart, Robert Blake, Michael Jackson, and Kobe Bryant. And expect controversy: In Chapter 6, for instance, she appears to challenge the practice of providing public defenders for indigents charged with crimes because of the cost. Grace is in favor of the death penalty because, she says, many people want it and some crimes deserve it. She doesn't address charges, however, that some prosecutors selectively seek the penalty because of race and other extraneous criteria. This book is meant to be outspoken, and it certainly manages that. But as this is just one former prosecutor's opinion, readers can judge for themselves.-Harry Charles, St. Louis, MO Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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