Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to read the rambling Disgruntled Old Coot's written utterances. "Court of public opinion" can also refer to... in my Old Coot Opinion, a person or group trying to promote a cause and when doing so realize that how they behave, handle affairs, etc. is observed by others. You want to obtain a positive view of your effort(s). Consider the attempt to make a city government amend an existing law to decriminalize marijuana possession; reducing the fine and making the possession of X amount of marijuana a minor affair with, at most, receiving a ticket, pay a small fine and with no offense placed on a criminal record. To convince the city government to change the existing statute it is best to be well-behaved and to encourage local citizens to contact their local governmental representative and encourage them to vote to alter the statute. You and/or your court is being "tried in the court of public opinion." I believe this other definition of the phrase should be included on the main page. I may be wrong but decades of prodigious amounts of reading compels me, urges me, virtually lashes me with whips of encouragement to mention my belief. Have a wonderful week!!!Obbop (talk) 13:15, 6 September 2012 (UTC)Reply
