A Time For Mercy

One of the novel’s motifs is politics and how the issue of politics affects some of the characters’ actions and behaviors. One character who is greatly affected by politics is Sheriff Ozzie Walls. Ozzie is very aware of his public appearance because he is Black in a predominantly white area of the rural south. Ozzie was elected sheriff seven years ago, and at that time, he was “the only black sheriff in Mississippi and the first ever from a predominantly white county” (16). Because of his race, Ozzie is constantly aware of how the public views him and how his decisions might impact his re-election next year. He is so aware of public opinion that he reminds his deputies that he won his first election with 68% of the vote. He also knows only 30% of a 95% white precinct in his jurisdiction voted for him, making him cautious before entering the diner Deputy Tatum recommends in that area. Ozzie’s preoccupation with next year’s election is also affected by the fact that two incident reports, which state the details of Josie’s 911 calls about Stuart hitting her, are missing in the office,. The sheriff doesn’t want to be associated with a police coverup in such a publicized trial. Though these missing incident reports come up during the trial, John Grisham doesn’t describe their effect on Ozzie and how the public feels about him.

Another character aware of his upcoming re-election is Judge Omar Noose. This will be Noose’s fifth re-election, and for the first time, he might have some competition from the prosecuting lawyer from Carl Lee Hailey’s trial. Jake tries to reassure Noose that this lawyer doesn’t stand a chance at winning after his poor performance in the Hailey trial, but Noose is nervous about facing a younger, more outspoken opponent. However, Grisham states that “judges were rarely challenged and almost never defeated. Most ambitious lawyers considered it financial suicide to run against a sitting judge, and lose” (240). So, while the lawyer has little chance to beat an experienced judge, Noose still puts on a show for the trial to remind his constituents of his abilities and values. For example, Noose refuses to sentence Drew because doing so would look bad to the public, no matter how he ruled. However, Jake “doubted Noose would show much sympathy for a cop killer. Leniency would be out of the question, regardless of the facts” (410). Likewise, when Noose grants Jake’s motion to move the trial out of Clanton, he fixes up the Van Buren County Courthouse to appear newer and more comfortable instead of the dilapidated building it is.

A final character affected by politics is prosecuting attorney Lowell Dyer. Though he and Noose deny allowing politics into their decision-making, Lowell knows the Gamble trial is a good opportunity to demonstrate his toughness on crime, especially when he used the death penalty as part of his election platform three years ago. He knows the public loves the death penalty, so he vied for position by highlighting his belief that Mississippi didn’t use the gas chamber enough, a view Jake shared before working with Carl Lee Hailey. Lowell also looks at Drew’s case as the most exciting event to happen during his term. Lowell’s cases usually involve drugs and other minor offenses, so a capital murder conviction would elevate him in the public’s eye. When the jury delivers a split verdict, Lowell immediately re-indicts Drew on capital murder to help soften his loss and save his public image.