 The defense attorneys developed a " labor defense " strategy , by which they attacked the entire trial process , including the prosecutor , the judge , and the jury selection process . The strategy involved verbally disparaging the judge and the prosecutors , and may have been an attempt to provoke a mistrial . Another aspect of the labor defense was an effort to rally popular support to free the defendants , in the hope that public pressure would help achieve acquittals . Throughout the course of the trial , thousands of supporters of the defendants flooded the judge with protests , and marched outside the courthouse in Foley Square . The defense used the trial as an opportunity to educate the public about their beliefs , so they focused their defense around the political aspects of communism , rather than rebutting the legal aspects of the prosecution 's evidence . Defendant Dennis chose to represent himself so he could , in his role as attorney , directly address the jury and explain communist principles . 
