What a great opening to this new piece at Taki’s Magazine:

Shortly after my arrival for a short visit to New York City, I had the happy idea of going to the criminal courts on Centre Street. They are the Metropolitan Opera of the criminal-justice system, and as an occasional expert witness in British courts, I wanted to see how these things were done in America.

Quite by chance I arrived at a dramatic moment in a dramatic trial of a dramatic crime…

And what a great glimpse into Dalrymple’s character. I now find myself asking, Why don’t more people attend trials just out of curiosity? Why don’t I?