Percy Bullard, a diminutive County Court judge, fidgets in his chambers just prior to the opening of the preliminary hearing. A thirteen-year court veteran, he has reached his pinnacle. Mr. Pate, the old courtroom deputy, enters and reports that half the courtroom is filled with blacks. Carl Lee Hailey is there, surrounded by relatives. Security is tight, Pate tells the judge, and everyone has been screened. The sheriff will arrive soon with "the boys." Meanwhile, a Memphis TV crew has requested permission to film the trial. Judge Bullard instructs Pate to throw them out. Sheriff Ozzie Walls drives the suspects to the courthouse, where they are ushered in under heavy protection.
Jake Brigance dashes over from his office across the street and sits in the jury box just as the judge enters. The defendants.....
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