Closing Arguments: The Defense

It is 9:00 and corrections officers are bringing the defendant into the courtroom. The judge just entered the courtroom. The judge says they must take care of a few housekeeping matters before the jury is brought out. The judge says he has made a verdict sheet for the jury. Neither attorney objects. The judge calls for the jury. The defense makes closing arguments first because the law says that the people (people of the state of New York, i.e., the prosecution) have the last word. The judge told jurors at the start of the trial and will remind them during his 'charge' that closing arguments are not considered evidence. The judge just told the jurors that after closing arguments, he will charge them, or, instruct them as to the law and how it applies to this case. The more charges a defendant faces, the longer the judge's charge takes. The judge just told the jury that nothing that he or either attorney says constitutes evidence in this case.