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Your Honor, I move that I be disbarred for introducing this evidence against my own client
If the facts are against you, pound on the law. If the law is against you, pound on the facts. And if both are against you, pound on the table!
--Legal aphorism
The case is going against the defendant, and the defense attorney suddenly starts making penguin noises, discussing his sex life with The Judge, or pulling sex toys out from under the defendant's chair. The more desperate the case, the more likely the defense attorney uses an antic which would have him disbarred and jailed in real life.
Often, this antic will result in a Penultimate Outburst.
Typical Courtroom Antics:
Examples:
- Law and Order had Jack Mc Coy go off on an increasingly hostile rant made up mostly of revealing evidence that was inadmissible so he could get a mistrial and try the case again. He did get in trouble for it (contempt of court) so it was a bit of a falling on his sword moment
- Ally McBeal had one of these per episode.
- The Practice used it somewhat faithfully.
- South Park skewered it with the "Chewbacca Defense
 " in the episode "Chef-Aid".
- On Duckman, Duckman's trial goes badly, and he resorts to desperate measures such as badgering the witnesses: "Is it true you are actually Japanese?" and "Ah HA! When you 'Assume,' (pulls out chalkboard) you make... uh... wait, there's a trick to this."
- On the short-lived Clerks The Animated Series, Randal calls a series of "surprise witnesses" during Dante's trial. All of the witnesses are directors of movies Randal didn't like, and he demands refunds from each of them. After he's finished, the witnesses leave, without ever saying a single word that has to do with the trial's actual proceedings.
- Done a lot in the Gyakuten Saiban series of games (better known in the states as Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney); the first game alone has the protagonist using all of the above tricks. There's a twist in that Phoenix himself (a defense attorney) maintains a level of professionalism, but many of the prosecutors do not. In the first game, Manfred von Karma practically intimidates the judge into letting him run the courtroom; in the second game, von Karma's younger daughter Franziska (also a prosecutor) tries to cow the judge, the witnesses, and even the defense by smacking them with her whip, even going so far as to whip poor Phoenix unconscious after losing case 2; and in the third game, prosecutor Godot throws his scalding hot coffee across the room in a fit of pique several times. Ironically enough, Phoenix himself often gets berated by the judge for much less.
- Rumpole Of The Bailey has, in extremis, produced the occasional really impressive Courtroom Antic. In "Rumpole and the Last Resort", he secured an adjournment in spite of an unsympathetic judge by collapsing and dying right there in the courtroom. (It was the season finale, too, so we couldn't be entirely sure he hadn't been Killed Off For Real.)
- I think it was this that lead to one of the greatest plays on words in TV history (when it's revealed he didn't die): "You all thought I'd kicked the bucket, but really I'd only turned a little pail (pale)."
- Subverted on Futurama where increasingly outrageous antics (the DEFENSE calling the JURY as a witness, then is later instructed to "disregard its own testimony") and requests ("Your Honor, I know the case is closed and you've rendered your verdict, but I want to testify") are met with the judge simply saying "I'm going to allow this."
- Parodied on The Simpsons; while stalling for time in Bart's suit against the makers of Itchy and Scratchy, Lionel Hutz decides to call all his surprise witnesses again; the group includes Ralph Wiggum, a Santa Claus in a cast, and Billy & Benny McCrary, the "world's fattest twins".
- In The Kentucky Fried Movie, a court skit features a prosecutor who pulls out a large, floppy dildo and waves it threateningly at a witness, inquiring "Are you aware of the penal codes in this state?"
- A rather amusing version from The 10th Kingdom has Virginia exclaim, after Wolf has practically incriminated himself while being grilled by the Judge, "Your Honor, my client is suffering from post-menstrual tension!"
- Not to mention Wolf's memorably existential self-defense: "Ohhhh, I'm twisting everything I'm saying!"
- This is Wonderland had Judge Maxwell Frasier, who threatened arrest for this sort of behaviour out of anyone other than himself. He would often yawn loudly while people he didn't like were talking, call a recess because he was hungry/bored, or go crazy and scream.
- Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law is chock full of these.
- Inverted in an episode of Frasier: a mental competency hearing for a wealthy old man, in which Frasier is appearing for the defense, is going very well for Frasier, who is acting like a consummate professional -- until the defendant's senility kicks in and he chooses that moment to start acting like a train conductor, including punching 'tickets' (the judge's notes and Frasier's tie) and announcing arrivals. However, a milder example of this trope played straight appears with Niles, who is appearing for the plaintiff and, as the proceedings are being televised, is playing up to the cameras outrageously.
- Truth in television, as anyone who still pays attention to Jack Thompson knows.
- Subverted in that he is actually getting disbarred for this. (at least when he finishes stalling)
- Several chapters of Brian Clevinger's novel Nuklear Age are devoted to a lengthy courtroom fiasco. For starters, the heroes' (who are being prosecuted by their arch-nemesis) lawyer happens to be their nemesis' boyfriend, the entire jury is made up of people whose lives the heroes have ruined, and the judge is a bloodthirsty man named Hangemall Letgodsortitout. It needs to be read to be believed.
- Richard of Looking For Group is currently going through something like this, with the twist that he's on trial for not being evil enough.
- The trial is over, he killed everyone. What? It's Richard.
- In an Episode ofBlackadder goes forth, George, as a defense lawyer, calls the prosecution lawyer as a witness.
- Defense attorney Henry Drummond calls the prosecutor to the witness stand in Inherit the Wind. This actually ends up becoming Drummond's Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
- The following from one of Irritability's early strips:
Judge: Even if you did have yout fingers crossed, you can't lie under oath!
Chappy: You don't understand you fat old bastard, I totally had them crossed!
- Lost: Kate's trial in "Eggtown" hinges partly on Surprise Witness (Jack) and even more on Surprise Lack-of-Witness (when Kate's mother is not available to testify.)
- Night Court practically runs on this trope.
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