"At this point, I would just like to say that what this committee is doing in theory is highly commendable. However, in practice, it sucks... and I'm not going to answer any more questions."

"[about Judge Rayford] This is a man bent on killing himself! It's no secret; a guard found him in his chambers once trying to hang himself! This is a man who's making value decisions on people's lives!"

"Sorry, Your Honor. Let's get back to justice. What is justice? What is the intention of justice? The intention of justice is to see that the guilty people are proven guilty and that the innocent are freed. Simple, isn't it? Only it's not that simple. However, it is the defense counsel's duty to protect the rights of the individual, as it is the prosecution's duty to uphold and defend the laws of the State. Justice for all. Only we have a problem here. And you know what it is? Both sides wanna win. We wanna win. We wanna win regardless of the truth. And we wanna win regardless of justice, regardless of who's guilty or innocent. Winning is everything!"

"Sixteen years of marriage and my wife still won't eat Chinese food. It's crazy, especially since we met in a Chinese restaurant."

"[After he fires a gun in his courtroom, to stop an argument] Gentlemen, need I remind you we are in a court of law? [long pause] Now, let's proceed in an orderly fashion."

"Prison should be a frightening place. Let those criminals create their own hellhole....I tell you, Arthur, the idea of punishment to fit the crime doesn't work. We need unjust punishment. Hang somebody for armed robbery. Try it! We've got nothin' to lose. Do you understand what I'm sayin' to you, for God's sake? You don't, do you? Oh! You fellas with your fancy ideas of rehabilitation. I tell you that the concept of rehabilitation is a farce. Do you honestly think that, that bringing Johnny Cash into prisons to sing railroad songs is gonna rehabilitate anyone? Most people are sick and tired of mugging and crime in the streets...[Arthur leaves] Arthur? Arthur?"

"Jeff McCullaugh: If everybody agrees I'm innocent, how come I'm going BACK to jail?"

"Carl Travers: I haven't left the scene of the accident, I'm in it!"

"Al Pacino - Arthur Kirkland"

"Jack Warden - Judge Francis Rayford"

"John Forsythe - Judge Henry T. Fleming"

"Lee Strasberg - Sam Kirkland"

"Jeffrey Tambor - Jay Porter"

"Christine Lahti - Gail Packer"

"Sam Levene - Arnie"

"Robert Christian - Ralph Agee"

"Thomas Waites - Jeff McCullaugh"

"Larry Bryggman - Warren Fresnell"

"Dominic Chianese - Carl Travers"

"Craig T. Nelson - Frank Bowers"