“Mr. Cooper,” Judge Whitmore responded with carefully controlled firmness, his voice carrying the weight of three decades of legal authority, “you seem to believe that the law represents nothing more than an elaborate game, and that your chronological age provides you with permanent immunity from consequences. I want to
assure you with complete clarity that you are currently standing at the edge of a very dangerous precipice.”
Ryan’s response came without hesitation or apparent consideration of the implications: “Precipices don’t particularly concern me, Your Honor.”
The Mother’s Breaking Point
Before Judge Whitmore could formulate his response to this latest display of contempt, a chair scraped loudly against the courtroom floor behind the defense table. Every head in the packed gallery turned toward the source of the disturbance.
