Legal flick alert! Aficionados of films about lawyers, judges and access to justice should acquire a copy of the updated second edition of “Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies,” a recent work by two emeritus professors at the UCLA Law School.

More than 200 titles – from “Adam's Rib” to “Young Mr. Lincoln” - are referenced in the 384-page, illustrated compendium by Paul Bergman and Michael Asimov (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, Mo., May 2006, $16.95).

Neatly packaged in a dozen sections (Courtroom Heroes, Experts or Charlatans, Corruption of Justice, Uncivil Actions, Prejudice on Trial, The Death Penalty, etc.) it is scrupulously indexed by topics.

A separate index ranks the films by the arbitrary number of gavels each is granted by the authors. Among those getting the highest marks (four gavels) are such classics as “The Caine Mutiny,” “Inherit the Wind,” “Judgment at Nuremberg,” “12 Angry Men,” “Witness for the Prosecution,” and of course, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Bergman and Asimov include legal analyses designed to “set the record straight,” when story lines run afoul of reality in actual practice, and legal jargon and procedures are explained along the way for the unfamiliar.

With the 198th birthday of our 16th president having just passed, one finds the four-gavel synopsis of “Young Mr. Lincoln” fascinating. The authors point out that the screenplay, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is a composite of two real trials.

One is the 1857 trial in which Lincoln referred to an almanac to prove that the moon had set before a key witness could have viewed the alleged crime. The other is a Georgia case from the early 1900s, when two brothers were hanged for a murder that only their mother had witnessed.

The authors point out that the mother in the film has no legal right to refuse to reveal which son may have committed the murder, but Lincoln tells the prosecutor that he knows “what's right and wrong, and what you're asking is wrong.”

They also note that the Bill of Rights did not apply to the states at the time of the story, or the judge would have had to advise the killer of his Fifth Amendment rights when Lincoln surprised him on the witness stand with an accusation of murder.

“Young Mr. Lincoln” was Henry Fonda's breakout role as a man of integrity, simplicity and courage – qualities he later exemplified in “12 Angry Men,” “The Ox-Bow Incident,” and “The Grapes of Wrath.”

“Reel Justice” merits space on the bookshelf of every movie buff who wants more details than are available in the synopses, in microscopic type, in the typical encyclopedia of films. Call (816) 932-6700 if your book store doesn't have it.

The National Center for State Courts now offers a weekly electronic review of state legislation that affects courts in jurisdictions in all 50 states.

“Gavel to Gavel” identifies court-related legislative activity and trends in several categories, including judicial selection, qualifications and terms, rule-making authority, jurisdiction, structural changes, salaries and budgets.

For information about subscribing for weekly updates or monthly compilations, send an e-mail to gaveltogavel@ncsc.dni.us.