15 Lies About the Legal System We Learned From Movies & TV

Ah the legal system. It’s syndicated TV’s favorite system, with more episodes about cops doing cop stuff, lawyers doing lawyer stuff, and judges doing judge stuff than any other system. We should also include all those late-night hosts, court of public opinion and all. Okay, well now that we think about it, the healthcare system probably has a comparable number of episodes, but shows based around the justice system have far more angles to come at it than silly doctor shows have.

So, with all this exposure to the legal system drilled, hammered, and, as a treat, lightly steeped like a teabag into our brains, we should all be experts at what exactly goes on in the halls of Lady Justice, our favorite blindfolded scales enthusiast, right? Nope. It seems that TV has led us astray. Who knew that fiction wasn’t exactly like real life?

Unfortunately, it turns out that the only two places movies taught us to object, in the courtroom and at a wedding, were both lies.