Summary Judgment
A Lawyer’s Memoir
by Donald Cameron Clark, Jr.
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Pub Date Sep 07 2021 | Archive Date Sep 06 2021
Girl Friday Productions | Sgian Dubh Press
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Description
Everyone leaves death row. Few leave it alive. During the summer of 1984 twenty-year-old Tommy Hamilton, the product of a deprived childhood in rural Alabama, shoots and kills his boss. Convicted of murder, Tommy is sentenced to death.
Before facing the electric chair, one final appeal offers the chance to save Tommy’s life, if only his two Chicago-based lawyers and a nun from Alabama can prove he is not legally guilty…even if he is not truly innocent. Tommy fears an incarcerated life more than the electric chair. As limited as his intellect is, he realizes that even a reduced life sentence without the possibility of parole is—like electrocution—a death in prison sentence.
If his lawyers are unable to get him out, Tommy professes a willingness to be executed. Despite a material witness allegedly committing suicide and their client escaping from jail during the court proceedings, the lawyers present evidence that perjury tainted both Tommy’s conviction and death sentence. Nevertheless, the judge assigned to determine Tommy’s fate maintains that, “Hamilton may deserve the death penalty and he may yet receive it.”
Summary Judgment is the fascinating true crime story told by one of Tommy’s lawyers that reveals how this life-and-death case unfolded in real time.
A Note From the Publisher
Donald Cameron Clark, Jr., Esq. is a renaissance man who believes in the power of storytelling, whether to a jury, to a theater audience, or to his grandchildren.
His legal practice focuses on high-stakes trials and religious liberty jurisprudence. He established the constitutional right of clergy to solemnize same-sex marriages in North Carolina and reversed the conviction of an Alabama death row inmate.
Clark began his professional career as a trial attorney at some of Chicago’s most venerable law firms. He became the General Counsel for the United Church of Christ, a Protestant religious denomination with five thousand churches headquartered in Cleveland, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Crain’s Cleveland Business.
A graduate of Rutgers Law School, Clark received its Distinguished Alumni Award and was recognized among “Rutgers-Camden’s Finest.” He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary where he served as Chair of its Board of Trustees and Acting President and remains a Life Trustee.
Clark is Executive Producer of the award-winning feature film Guest Artist, written by and starring Jeff Daniels. He produces plays on Broadway and in regional theaters. Clark co-owns the Chicago Magic Lounge—a nightlife venue that is top rated on Tripadvisor and one of “Chicago’s Best” according to Chicago Magazine.
Clark authored a cover story in the Christian Century, law journal articles, and countless legal briefs. He debated First Amendment issues at the Vail Symposium and lectured at the American Academy of Religion. He has delivered numerous speeches and commencement addresses.
Summary Judgment is his first book.
His legal practice focuses on high-stakes trials and religious liberty jurisprudence. He established the constitutional right of clergy to solemnize same-sex marriages in North Carolina and reversed the conviction of an Alabama death row inmate.
Clark began his professional career as a trial attorney at some of Chicago’s most venerable law firms. He became the General Counsel for the United Church of Christ, a Protestant religious denomination with five thousand churches headquartered in Cleveland, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Crain’s Cleveland Business.
A graduate of Rutgers Law School, Clark received its Distinguished Alumni Award and was recognized among “Rutgers-Camden’s Finest.” He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary where he served as Chair of its Board of Trustees and Acting President and remains a Life Trustee.
Clark is Executive Producer of the award-winning feature film Guest Artist, written by and starring Jeff Daniels. He produces plays on Broadway and in regional theaters. Clark co-owns the Chicago Magic Lounge—a nightlife venue that is top rated on Tripadvisor and one of “Chicago’s Best” according to Chicago Magazine.
Clark authored a cover story in the Christian Century, law journal articles, and countless legal briefs. He debated First Amendment issues at the Vail Symposium and lectured at the American Academy of Religion. He has delivered numerous speeches and commencement addresses.
Summary Judgment is his first book.
Advance Praise
“Summary Judgment is a compelling true story that exposes how conviction of innocents is not the only flaw to be guarded against in our criminal justice system—particularly in cases seeking to impose the death penalty. The book tackles the murky waters of justice for the guilty and will be of great interest to anyone who wants to know more about the legal and moral intricacies of defending a person facing a death sentence. With great honesty, Donald Cameron Clark, Jr. offers an insider perspective and captures the complexities of a fascinating life-and-death case.”
- Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., death penalty abolitionist and author of Dead Man Walking (1994), The Death of Innocents (2006), and River of Fire (2020)
“A meticulously detailed and often stirring account of one lawyer’s dedication.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Summary Judgment is fantastic. If you want to know what it’s like to be a good lawyer, one who thinks client first / winning second, then this is the book for you. Donald Clark’s point of view of a lawyer defending a client facing the death penalty, hasn’t been created through the research most writers would need to do. Donald Clark actually lived this. A fantastic story, swift page turner, and a smart, fun read. I love this book!”
- Timothy Busfield, Actor, Director, Producer
“Loved the book! Summary Judgment is an extraordinary behind-the-scenes account of a dedicated legal team volunteering in post–death penalty litigation, including the lawyering that is involved. I recommend it for lawyers and non-lawyers alike as a tremendous example of lawyers upholding their oaths to ensure that justice, rather than retribution, is served.”
- H. Thomas Wells, Jr., President, American Bar Association (2008-2009).
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Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781736807705 |
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