Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I know you’ve spent all morning listening to Mr. Broygo talk; I know you’re hungry; what I need to tell you won’t take very long at all. I don’t like Alexander Cullen. I don’t think he’s a nice person. I don’t expect you to like him. He’s been a terrible husband to all three of his wives; he’s been a destructive force in the lives of his stepchildren; he’s cheated the city, his partners, his employees. He’s paid hundreds of thousands of dollas in penalties and fines over the years. I don’t like him. I’m going to tell you some things during the course of this trial that are going to make you like him even less. But this isn’t a popularity contest; it’s a murder trial.
You know what scares me? I quit the case, she gets better… and I hate her for it. I don’t want to resent her, John, I’ve got a winner here. I’ve got to nail this fucker down, do it fast, and put it behind me. Just get it done. Then – then. – put all my energy into her.
Men kill animals and eat their flesh. Phillipe Moyez killed a goat and he did it at home in a manner consistent with his beliefs. It’s certainly not a religious practice performed by everyone, it’s not as common as circumcision, it’s not as common as the belief that wine transforms into blood, some people handle poisonous snakes to prove their faith, some people walk on fire. Phillipe Moyez killed a goat and he did it while observing his constitutionally protected beliefs. This case is not about keeping goats transporting goats or goat licensing, the city was clearly less concerned with the care of the animals than the manner in which they were slaughtered. The city timed this police action to catch my client exercising his constitutionally protected right to religious freedom.
