The U-M Innocence Clinic

continued

When the judge calls a break, the defense team scurries into a hallway frenzy of frantic cell phone calls. Their star witness is a no-show. Shannon Gholston lives with his parents, but he left their home last night, and the U-M team can’t locate him. Levine looks like she’s crammed all night for an exam only to discover she’s been locked out of the classroom.

Back in court, Georgieva takes over. In tall heels, she’s a natural, confident and in command. She has success with another appellate lawyer, a woman who’s a clearer and more cooperative witness. But the argument over whether Gholston got incompetent representation turns on murky legal points.

Finally, as the morning turns to afternoon, the bailiff rearranges a few tables and chairs and moves the witness’s microphone. There is a whispered conversation in a huddle around the judge’s bench, and Fresard orders the courtroom cleared. The person everyone came to see will testify without anyone from either family present—presumably to blunt any charges that he is being influenced by the crowd.