Editing Anatomy of a Murder (section)

==Legal aspects==
[[File:Anatomy of a Murder 1.jpg|right|thumb|Facade of the Lumberjack Tavern, the scene of the actual crime on which the film is based]]
The film examines the apparent [[Fallibilism|fallibility]] of the human factor in [[jurisprudence]].<ref name=Vulgate>{{cite book |last = Frank |first = Jerome |year = 1973 |title = Courts on Trial |publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] |pages = 23–24. 318 }}</ref><ref name=Wilfrid>{{cite book |last = Thomas |first = Edward Wilfrid |year = 2006 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn6fBTLwV9IC&pg=PA323 |title = The Judicial Process: Realism, Pragmatism, Practical Reasoning and Principles |publisher = [[Auckland University Press]] |pages = 318–324 |isbn = 978-0-521-85566-2 }}</ref> In various ways all of the human components—the counsel for defense and prosecution, the defendant and his wife, and the witnesses—have their own differing positions on what is right or wrong, and varying perspectives on integrity, justice, morality and ethics. The reliance on credibility of witnesses, and the "finding of facts" based upon those determinations, is the "[[Achilles heel]]" of the judicial process.<ref name=Wilfrid/>

One controversial legal issue in this film is possible witness coaching, a violation of [[legal ethics|legal canons]]. The only plausible legal defense Lt. Manion has—the [[insanity defense]]—is virtually spelled out to a befuddled Manion by his prospective counsel,<ref name="Shaul">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/features/discmich/anatomy.pdf |last1 = Shaul |first1 = Richard D. |title = Backwoods Barrister |magazine = Michigan History |date = November–December 2001 |volume = 86 |issue = 6 |page = 82 |archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/418/20061220154411/http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/features/discmich/anatomy.pdf |access-date = December 7, 2011 |archive-date = December 20, 2006 }}</ref> who then temporarily suspends the conversation and suggests that Manion rethink his factual/legal position. Witness coaching by the prosecution is even more blatant as they call in other jail inmates awaiting sentencing to testify against Manion, which is portrayed as [[subornation of perjury]] to an extent. The first suggests that the defendant may be concealing the truth and manipulating his story in order to obtain the best possible verdict, and the latter that the prosecution dangled a possible lighter [[Sentence (law)|sentence]] through [[plea bargain]] as an incentive to [[perjury]].<ref name="usfca.edu">{{cite web |url = http://www.usfca.edu/pj/articles/anatomy.htm |last = Asimow |first = Michael |title = ''Anatomy of a Murder'': The 'Lecture' |date = February 1998 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100303070430/http://www.usfca.edu/pj/articles/anatomy.htm |archive-date = March 3, 2010 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name=Saltzburg>{{cite book |last = Saltzburg |first = Stephen A. |year = 2006 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Kieo-S5hQFkC&pg=PA28 |title = Trial Tactics |publisher = [[American Bar Association]] |pages = 225, 231 |isbn = 1-59031-767-X }}</ref>