Tearing up the Sanity Clause: A Class Action

Abstract:The law and lawyers are so pervasive in US life and culture that itshould come as no surprise that they invite the kind of parody that the cinematictradition has displayed from the birth of the movies to the present day. Byexamining a small number of well-known courtroom comedies, this shortessay will examine how these movies often use an unlikely character, an out-sider and an underdog in terms of class or education who is unable to adhere tothe rules of judiciary procedures. While it is true that this outsider is there to belaughed at, humor also emerges from the ridiculousness of many aspects of thelegal system and especially of legalese.