Clarence Darrow’s life is cable program topic

Chicago attorney and television news analyst Joel T. Daly reprises his earlier reenactments of trial lawyer Clarence Seward Darrow during ISBA cable television programs this month. Daly is a member of the ISBA Committee on Cable Television Programming.

“The Life and Legacy of Clarence Darrow” may be seen at 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Dec. 18 and 25, on Chicago Access Network channel 21.

In addition to Daly, who covers legal news stories on ABC-Channel 7 afternoon broadcasts, participants include the moderator, Cook County Judge Michael B. Hyman, and Robert L. Byman, a partner in Jenner & Block.

April 18 was the 150th anniversary of Darrow’s birth, and next March 13 will be the 70th anniversary of his death in Chicago at age 80.

A steadfast advocate for the right of trial by jury, Darrow was outspoken against any increase in the powers of trial judges in areas such as instructing juries and setting aside verdicts.

His participation in a July 1897 debate on the merits of written and oral methods of jury instruction, sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association in Chicago, was protested by several attorneys.

Darrow called the proposed debate subject “a controversy over trial by jury.” As reported in the New York Times, he acknowledged that jury trials often result in grave injustice, but he supported the process as a constitutional right.