Fact1: Mexican American teenager lives in small town of San Juno, Fact2: heart attack was caused by Angel 's attempt to seduce her, Fact3: racist mob attempts to break Angel out of jail, Fact4: Detectives working for Castle 's firm uncover attempt to tamper with jury on behalf of prosecution, Fact5: Castle calls Blake to join Over weekend break during jury selection to New York him
Output: Angel Chavez Rafael Campos is a Mexican American teenager who lives in the small California town of San Juno. During an annual event called Bass Night held at the town beach, he wanders onto the beach, offlimits to Mexican Americans. There he meets a nonHispanic girl he knows from high school, but she has a weak heart due to rheumatic fever and dies suddenly, and Angel is arrested. On the grounds that her heart attack was caused by Angels attempt to seduce her—which, as they were minors, would have been statutory rape even if consensual—he is charged with felony murder. A racist mob attempts to break Angel out of jail and lynch him, but the warden persuades them to stop by promising that the youth will be executed after a fair trial. David Blake Glenn Ford is a law professor at the state university. He is told he must stop teaching until he has had some courtroom experience. Rejected by many law firms, he finds work at a small one run by Bernard Castle Arthur Kennedy. Castle wants to defend Angel and agrees to hire Blake to handle the case. Castle and Angels mother Katy Jurado travel to New York City to raise money to defend Angel. Castle leaves his law clerk Abbe Nyle Dorothy McGuire to help Blake, and they fall in love. Detectives working for Castles firm uncover an attempt to tamper with the jury on behalf of the prosecution, but a new jury panel is called. Over a weekend break during jury selection, Castle calls Blake to New York to join him at a fundraising rally. Blake quickly realizes that Castle is primarily using the case as a propaganda and fundraising tool for a Communist group. Insulted at being used, Blake returns to San Juno to see the trial through to the end and represent Angels interests. Blakes trial strategy is to rebut the prosecutions case sufficiently that he does not need to present a defense. But at the last moment Castle returns and, using his influence on Angels mother, threatens Castle with removal unless Angel testifies. Blake realizes that Castle wants the teen subjected to a harsh crossexamination that will ensure his conviction and execution: then he will be a martyr and Castle will be able to better utilize the case as a fundraising tool for the Communist Party. Blake remains on the case, but the crossexamination goes as poorly as feared. Chavez is found guilty, and as the jury did not suggest leniency, the death penalty will be automatic. Castle then does have Blake fired to keep him from speaking during sentencing, but he arrives anyway and requests and receives amicus status. Blake now says that since the charge of murder was based on a technicality, it is appropriate for the judge to apply another technicality, Chavezs status as a minor, in sentencing. Instead of being hanged, the boy can simply be sent to reform school. When the prosecutor agrees that this would be fair, the AfricanAmerican judge Juano Hernandez accepts the suggestion. He then sentences Castle, who has tried to racebait him during Blakes argument, to 30 days in jail for contempt. Blake and Abbe Nyle leave the court together.