In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a
shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of
dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply,
causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company
appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine
justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse
it.
Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be
replaced before the case is ultimately decided?
The
chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named
Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not
friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides
to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is
a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a
billionaire like Mr. Trudeau.
Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his
political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting
candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and
mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their
Supreme Court justice.
The Appeal is a
powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal
intrigue, a story that will leave listeners unable to think
about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the
same way ever again.