A narrative history of the Inquisition, and an examination of the influence it exerted on contemporary society, by the author of ARE WE ROME?

News-breaking trial verdicts capture our attention! Would the nonfit of the glove in the O. J. Simpson case be enough to acquit? Were Laci's torso and Conner's body proof of Scott Peterson's guilt? Do we really want to hear the final verdict, or is it the truth that we seek? John Edgewood has a new job and a new start in life. He is working as a mechanic at the City Yard in San Francisco, California. He is a quiet man who keeps to himself, responsible at his job. He lives a simple life in the Tenderloin. This is a refreshing change for John. The previous year, he had been incarcerated in state prison. His bad choices started when he was a teenager, taking his cue to drink from a drunk mother. One too many times, he ended up in a courtroom, facing a judge. Now that John's life is on track, he faces an accusation that will change his life forever: John Edgewood is accused of murder-a crime that both he and the reader know that he didn't commit. As the readers journey through the trial process alongside John, we get to know the attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense, the judge, and each member selected for the jury. Will the truth prevail, or will it be simply about obtaining a victory? What if one member of the jury was God Himself? Would that change the outcome for John? Courtroom 211J is where John's fate will be decided. What will it be and why?

What went wrong in imperial Rome, and how we can avoid it: “If you want to understand where America stands in the world today, read this.” —Thomas E. Ricks The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds since the beginning of our republic. Depending on who’s doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a triumphal call to action—or a dire warning of imminent collapse. In this “provocative and lively” book, Cullen Murphy points out that today we focus less on the Roman Republic than on the empire that took its place, and reveals a wide array of similarities between the two societies (The New York Times). Looking at the blinkered, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of bribery in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of privatization, Murphy persuasively argues that we most resemble Rome in the burgeoning corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside—two things that must be changed if we are to avoid Rome’s fate. “Are We Rome? is just about a perfect book. . . . I wish every politician would spend an evening with this book.” —James Fallows

The Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Scopes Trial and the battle over evolution and creation in America's schools In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the twentieth century's most contentious courtroom dramas, pitting William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes, represented by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day-in cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic Summer for the Gods -- winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History -- is the single most authoritative account of this pivotal event. An afterword assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.

When suburban dad Carl Dubler was selected for a jury, he should have found it easy to judge someone. A lifetime in the church gave him a clear sense of right and wrong, with little room for nuance. But this was for real. Permanent. The man before him was on trial for his life. Carl could choose mercy and offend those who clamored for justice. Or he could choose full justice-death-and offend those who said there had already been enough killing. Carl imagined God looking down at him with a wry smile and asking, "How do you like doing my job?" Playing God in Chair Twelve: A Juror's Faith-Changing Journey is the riveting true story of a notorious double-murder, a life-or-death judgment, and the faith journey that followed. Carl's thought-provoking story reveals what happens when ordinary people must decide between justice and mercy, life and death.

The authors review legal developments and behavioural science research concerning the effects of religion on legal practice, decision-making processes of various actors and trial outcomes. Chapters address jury selection and bias, attorneys' use of religion in legal movements, judges' religious belief, and much more.

This book challenges the recently established consensus that the trial was a carefully prepared and executed judicial process in which the judges were amenable to reasonable arguments. Thomas More's treason trial in 1535 is one of history's most famous court cases, yet never before have all the major documents been collected, translated, and analyzed by a team of legal and Tudor scholars. This edition serves asan important sourcebook and concludes with a 'docudrama' reconstructing the course of the trial based on these documents. Legal experts H. A. Kelly and R. H. Helmholz take different approaches to the legalities of this trial, and four experienced judges [including Justice of the Queen's Bench Sir Michael Tugendhat] discuss the trial with some disagreements - notably on the meaning and requirement of 'malice' called for in the Parliamentary Act of Supremacy. More's own accounts of his interrogations in prison are analyzed, and the trial's procedures are compared to and contrasted with 16th-century concepts of natural law and also modern judicial practices and principles. The book is a 'must read' not only for students of law and Tudor history but also for all concerned with justice and due process. As a whole, the book challenges Duncan Derrett's conclusions that the trial was conducted in accord with contemporary legal norms and that More was convicted only on the single charge of denying Parliament the power to declare Henry VIII Supreme Head of the English Church [testified to by Richard Rich] - a position that has been uniformly accepted by historians since 1964. HENRY ANSGAR KELLY is past Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA. LOUIS W. KARLIN is an attorney with the California Court of Appeal and Fellow of the Center for Thomas More Studies, University of Dallas. GERARD B. WEGEMER is Director of the Center for Thomas More Studies.