Rumors of Justice

Rumors of Justice, Tom Eagan, Aran Press, 2000

Howard Lerner is your average defense attorney at the local district courthouse. He spends each morning handling the usual traffic and misdemeanor-type cases. After having the same thing for lunch at the same time every day, he spends each afternoon indulging his passion for horse racing at the local track. Howard is the epitome of honest, down-to-earth people.

The other lawyers and judges at the courthouse begin to wonder about Howard when he advocates putting the Ten Commandments back in the courtroom. Most assume it's a joke; the rest remind him of the Supreme Court decision about separation of church and state.

Howard is being haunted by the ghost of Thomas Jefferson, who pleads with Howard to do this, so that he (Jefferson) can resume his journey to Heaven, and to reverse the moral decline in America that stemmed from the Supreme Court ruling. Howard is shown document after document from American hyistory giving a prominent place to God, and he is visited by everyone from Moses to Dwight Eisenhower, all to convince him to get even one judge to put the Ten Commandments back in the courtroom.

No matter one's opinion on the subject, this is a short, thought-provoking story that is well worth reading.