You Are There: Inside The Libby Trial
When the judge announces a 10-minute break or lunch recess, everyone recesses together. So, you get up from your seat, perhaps headed for the water fountain around the corner, and end up walking out alongside of Libby's wife, Harriet, or even Libby himself.
On the first day I attended the trial, I was trying to find my way around during the lunch break. In my tentative search for an appropriate exit, I stopped in the middle of the hallway, only to get in the path of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, laden with documents and binders on his way to lunch. (After he politely excused himself to get by, I turned to a colleague and said, "wow, I literally just obstructed justice.")
The convergence of characters is also evident in the courthouse cafeteria (what is this, 7th grade?), where you might bump into the latest witness or counsel on the prowl for a turkey sandwich. Matt Cooper, former Time Magazine reporter, was on line next to me one day last week. It was unnerving. I wanted to say something, like "brutal cross-exam, huh?" or "did you really still reek of chlorine while you were talking to Libby on the phone?" But I let him ring up his meal (shiny apple included, natch) and dine in peace.
This trial is a unique environment in which the news media are in close proximity to the news makers, all as news is made. It's like watching animals in their natural habitat, except you're in there with them.