legal thriller
Hubbard's children attempt to contest their father's new will by claiming he was not capable when filing it, igniting a hotly contested court battle with many twists and turns. Jake's first concern is to prevent the trial from becoming a race issue of blacks vs. whites. Since Ford County has a white majority, the jury would almost certainly also be majority white. On the other hand, whites in Ford County are far from completely biased, as proven by the fact that voters had elected a black sheriff to two consecutive terms by an overwhelming majority. Jake believes that if the race issue is toned down, the jury might rule for Lettie on the case's own merits, i.e. that Hubbard made his money himself and had the right to leave it to whoever he wanted and that he knew what he was doing when changing his will.
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file (소송 등을) 제기[제출]하다; to file for divorce 이혼 소송을 제기하다
ignite [ɪɡˈnaɪt] 불을 붙이다; 발화시키다; <사람의 감정을> 타오르게 하다, 흥분시키다
hotly (논쟁 등이) 뜨겁게[맹렬히]; 열렬히, 치열하게;
hotly contested elections 치열한 접전이 벌어지는 선거
twists and turns 우여 곡절;
The matter was settled at last after many twists and turns.
그 사건은 우여곡절 끝에 마침내 해결되었다
jury 배심원단
far from …에서 멀리; 전혀 …이 아닌, …와는 거리가 먼; ... 은 커녕(instead of)
biased 편향된, 선입견이 있는
sheriff 보안관, 판사
consecutive term 연이은 임기
tone down 부드럽게 하다, 진정하다, 부드러워지다, 음성이 낮아지다.
rule 통치하다, 지배하다, 규정[판결]하다
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First, Jake must get rid of a rabble-rousing black lawyer from Memphis who goes to Clanton and involves himself in the case while engaging in a series of provocative acts which risk the chances of winning the case. Then, Lettie's husband, with whom she is on bad terms, kills two teens while driving drunk, arousing great passions against the Lang family and hurting their chance of a fair trial. As a measure of damage control, Jake convinces Lettie to immediately file for divorce (which was on her mind anyway).
The trial finally begins and goes well. Jake builds his case, and Lettie's own testimony makes a good impression on the jury and Jake succeeds in discrediting the testimonies of Hubbard's children and their assertion to have been close to their father and deeply caring during his illness.
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rabble-rousing 민중을 선동하는, 민중 선동가의
rabble 왁자한 무리, 폭도; (하찮은) 일반 대중[서민]
provocative acts 도발적인 행위
on bad terms 나쁜 사이로;
on bad[good, speaking, visiting] terms
(…와) 나쁜[좋은, 말을 건넬 정도의, 서로 왕래하는] 사이로 ((with))
fair trial 공정한 재판
build a case 소송을 내다[하다].
testimony 증언
discredit 존경심[신임]을 떨어뜨리다; 신빙성을 없애다
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However, the opposing lawyer manages to spring a surprise witness, whose testimony seems to show that Lettie had tried to influence an earlier ailing employer to leave her money in a will, creating a suspicion of her systematically preying on the weakness of elderly ailing people. Still another surprise witness, a former black female employee with whom Hubbard had sexual relations comes forward, implying that Lettie had also slept with Hubbard.
The trial looks lost for Jake, with even the two black jurors starting to strongly doubt Lettie's credibility. At the last moment, the trial is changed again by a sensational deposition given by Hubbard's long-lost brother Ancil. Ancil, who had a very traumatic childhood, had left Ford County and joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 17, vowing never to return. Since then, he had led an adventurous and often criminal life around the world under a variety of assumed names, until finally being located as a bartender in Juneau, Alaska.
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spring (갑자기) 나타나다, (갑자기) ... 하다.
prey on ~을 먹이로 하다; (자기보다 약자를) 등쳐먹다[사기 치다]
juror (한 사람의) 배심원
credibility 신뢰성; credible 믿을 수 있는
deposition 증언[진술] 녹취록
long-lost 오랫동안 보지[소식을 듣지] 못한;
a long-lost friend 오래 전에 연락이 끊긴 친구
traumatic 정신적 외상을 초래할 정도의, 대단히 충격적인; 정신적 외상의, 정신적 외상에 의한
assumed name 가명(假名)
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원문 출처; 위키미디어;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Row