The honorable Supreme Court Justice Charles Hart, Jr., presiding. Your Honor, case on trial is ready to proceed,” said Chief Court Clerk Jim Farley. As Farley called the courtroom to order, the jurist swept in, his black robe billowing behind him as he crossed the distance between the door that led to his robing room and the dais. Glancing at the prosecution and defense tables and then the gallery, he stepped up and took his seat. Hart was a striking-looking man in his sixties—tall, with tan, chiseled facial features and a full head of wavy blond hair and just enough white at the temples to indicate that he didn’t get the color out of a box. Without any preamble or greetings, Hart left everyone standing as he glared at Celeste Faust. “I asked that the jury not be present for a moment while we have a little discussion, Ms. Faust,” Hart said icily. “Did my eyes deceive me or did I read an article in today’s New York Times in which you were quoted extensively about this case and yesterday’s trial events?”
