▁away ▁from ▁what ▁are ▁often ▁ted ious ▁court room ▁procedures . ▁ ▁These ▁legal ▁plot ▁lines ▁are ▁supported ▁by ▁personal ▁comp lications ▁in ▁Ab ner ▁Co ates ' ▁life , ▁as ▁he ▁tries ▁to ▁reason ▁out ▁whether ▁or ▁not ▁he ▁wants ▁to ▁run ▁for ▁district ▁att orney ▁( and ▁beh old en ▁to ▁J esse ▁G ear hart ), ▁get ▁married , ▁and ▁how ▁to ▁deal ▁with ▁his ▁inf irm ▁father . ▁ ▁Qu otes ▁▁ ▁"' Don ' t ▁be ▁c yn ical ,' ▁Judge ▁Co ates ▁said . ▁' A ▁c yn ic ▁is ▁just ▁a ▁man ▁who ▁found ▁out ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁about ▁ten ▁years ▁old ▁that ▁there ▁wasn ' t ▁any ▁Santa ▁Cla us , ▁and ▁he ' s ▁still ▁ups et .' " ▁"' I ▁don ' t ▁know ▁about ▁you , ▁sir ,' ▁Ab ner ▁said , ▁' But ▁when ▁somebody ▁tells ▁me ▁I ▁am , ▁or ▁was , ▁an ▁ass , ▁I ▁may ▁grant ▁the ▁truth ▁of ▁the ▁matter ▁alleg ed , ▁but ▁nobody ▁can ▁stop ▁me ▁wanting ▁to ▁inter pose ▁a ▁dem urr er ▁to ▁the ▁evidence .' " ▁" You ▁just ▁had ▁to ▁take ▁a ▁practical ▁view ▁that ▁a ▁man ▁always ▁li ed ▁on ▁his ▁own ▁beh alf , ▁and ▁paid ▁his ▁lawyer , ▁who ▁was ▁an ▁expert , ▁a ▁professional ▁li ar , ▁to ▁show ▁him ▁new ▁and ▁better ▁ways ▁of ▁lying . ▁ ▁Ab ner ▁remembered ▁a ▁passage ▁his ▁father ▁was ▁fond ▁of ▁qu oting ▁from ▁a ▁life ▁of ▁Chief ▁Justice ▁Par