Attention has been focused on appellate opinions rather than on the proceedings at the trial level. Yet, it is through the study of trial materials that the true working of the legal process is revealed. Although judges apply and perhaps expand on legal principles, thereby contributing to their evolution, this application is not solely based on abstract reasoning. In the trials, the legal process is integrated with the human element. Procedures such as the presentation of the evidence or the testimony of witnesses take on life and influence the ultimate decision.
Trials consequently are of great interest to both the lawyer and the historian.
They also make stimulating and rewarding reading for the non-legal professional and the general public. Psychologists and social workers will find the behavior and actions of witnesses and lawyers curious and revealing. Historians and writers can use trials to study the lives, customs, and emotions of members of a given community. In trials, sociologists will discover interesting examples of social customs and bias such as the treatment of women, slaves, ministers of the church, and the mentally ill. For the general reader, the drama of the courtroom will provide suspenseful and titillating reading.