Returning to the Troy Davis case one more time, I just came across this interesting article in the Harvard Law Record about a recent panel held at Harvard Law School discussing the case. Panel members included Davis's attorney in his habeas proceedings in the Eleventh Circuit as well as a defense attorney who drafted an amicus brief on Davis's behalf in the Supreme Court.
The article gives some background about the case and the efforts his family and supporters made in trying to get relief for Davis. One part of this effort was this song and video called "State of Georgia" by the band State Radio. The video is not very conceptual; it's more of an explanatory video as it literally explains in text what's happened (and is happening) in the case. The song itself is a pretty straightforward acoustic folk number that doesn't really do much for me. The lyrics of the song are pretty literal as well. I shouldn't really be too critical about that; even Bob Dylan went pretty literal in "Hurricane." After all, it is a habeas case -- not really the best material for a clever song.
It's funny, though. The other day, US News reported (in an article for which the link no longer seems to work) that Justice Scalia believes that humor can be an effective weapon in making a point with a judge. I wonder how he feels about a song? Obviously, "State of Georgia" didn't have much of an impact on him. I wonder if anybody has ever tried to sing an argument before the Supreme Court. It may not end up being very effective, but it certainly would be memorable.
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