American Rhetoric: Movie Speech

"And Justice for All" (1979)

Arthur Kirkland Delivers Closing Argument For and Against the Defense

[Note: Some profanity in the video is redacted in the transcript below]

Arthur Kirkland: Your Honor, Mr. Foreman, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, my name is Arthur Kirkland and I am the Defense Counsel for the Defendant, Judge Henry T. Fleming. Now, that man over there [pointing in the direction of DA Bowers], he's the prosecuting attorney, and he couldn't be happier today. He is a happy man today because today he's going after a Judge, and if he gets him, if he gets him, he's going to be a star. He's going to have his name in this month's Law Review, centerfold, "Lawyer of the Month."

Now, in order to win this case, he needs you, naturally. You're all he's got, believe me. So he's counting on tapping that emotion in you which says, "Let's get somebody in power." "Let's get a Judge." However, these proceedings are not about that. These proceedings are here to see that justice is done. And justice is, as any reasonable person will tell you, the finding of the truth. And what is the truth today? One truth, a tragic one, is that that girl has been beaten and raped. Another truth is that the prosecution doesn't have a witness, does not have one piece of substantiating evidence other than the testimony of the victim herself. Another truth is that my client voluntarily, and the prosecution is well aware of this fact [again pointing in the direction of DA Bowers], voluntarily took a lie detector test --

DA Bowers: Objection, Your Honor! That's inadmissible evidence! Come on.

Arthur Kirkland:  -- told the truth.

Judge Rayford: The jury will disregard that remark. Polygraph tests have not been proven 100% reliable; therefore inadmissible in a court of law!

Arthur Kirkland:  Sorry, Your Honor. Let's get back to justice. What is justice? What is the intention of justice? The intention of justice is to see that the guilty people are proven guilty and that the innocent are freed. Simple, isn't it? Only it's not that simple. However, it is the Defense Counselor's duty to protect the rights of the individual, as it is the Prosecution's duty to uphold and defend the laws of the State. Justice for All. Only we have a problem here. And you know what it is? Both sides want to win. We want to win. We want to win regardless of the truth, and we want to win regardless of justice, regardless of who's guilty or innocent. Winning is everything. That man there [again pointing in the direction of DA Bower] wants a win so badly today, it means so much to him, he is so carried away with the prospect of winning, the IDEA, that he forgot something that's absolutely essential to today's proceedings: He forgot his case. He forgot to bring it. I don't know, I don't see it, do you? The prosecution's case, he's got to have one. Not a witness, not one piece of substantiating evidence other than the testimony of the victim herself! Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a case to end all cases. I have witnesses for my client. I have character references, testimonials that are backed up from here to Washington DC! I got lie detector tests that are [unclear] --

DA Bowers: Objection!!

Judge Rayford: Objection sustained!

Arthur Kirkland:  Sit down, Frank [Bowers, the DA]!

Judge Rayford: Mr. Kirkland, you are out of order!!

Arthur Kirkland:  The one thing that bothered me, the one thing that stayed in my mind and I couldn't get rid of it, that haunted me, was why. Why would she lie? What was her motive for lying? If my client is innocent, she's lying. Why? Was it blackmail? No. Was it jealousy? No. Yesterday, I found out why. She doesn't have a motive. You know why? Because she's not lying. And ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution is not going to get that man today [pointing in the direction of the Defendant, Judge Fleming]. No. Because I'm going to get him! My client, the Honorable Henry T. Fleming, should go right to [redacted] jail! The son-of-a-bitch is guilty!

DA Bowers: Your Honor!

Arthur Kirkland:  That man i--

Judge Rayford: Mr. Kirkland!!

Arthur Kirkland:  -- is guilty! That man there, that man s a slime! He is a slime! If he's allowed to go free, then something really wrong is going on here.

Judge Rayford: Mr. Kirkland, you are out of order!

Arthur Kirkland:  You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! [points to the jury] They're out of order! That man, that sick, crazy depraved man --

Judge Rayford: All right, clear the courtroom! Clear the courtroom!

Arthur Kirkland:  - raped and beat that woman there, and he'd like to do it again! He told me so. It's just a show! It's a show! It's "Let's Make a Deal!" Let's make a deal! Hey, Frank, you want to make a deal? I got an insane judge who likes to beat the [redacted] out of women. What do you want to give me, Frank? Three weeks probation?

DA Bowers: Damn it!

Judge Rayford: Order! Order! Order in this courtroom!

Arthur Kirkland: You. You son-of-a-bitch, you! [addressing the Defendant, his client, directly]. You're supposed to stand for something! You're supposed to protect people! But instead you [redacted] murder them! You killed McCullough! You killed him! Hold it! Hold it! I just completed my opening statement!