"A powerful true story and groundbreaking account of bias in the courtroom from CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates, recounting her time as a Black female prosecutor for the US Department of Justice"-- When Coates joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, she wanted to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. She quickly realized that even with the best intentions, being Black, a woman, and a mother are identities often at odds in the justice system. Coates saw how Black communities are policed differently; prosecuted differently; judged differently. She witnessed how others in the system either abused power or were abused by it. In exploring the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, Coates exposes the chasm between what is right and what is lawful. -- adapted from jacket Provided by publisher.

Please don't come here : on what happens when a black woman must aid in a deportation arrest -- Wanna see something funny? : on being trained by a white colleague how to interrogate a black defendant -- "I want no part of this" : on the older black woman victim who pleads for lenience for a young black defendant -- She needed me to believe her : on the domestic violence survivor afraid to be judged -- That's not me : on the real case of mistaken identity -- A seat at the (right) table : on the tension between black defense attorneys and prosecutors -- Babyface : on the conviction of a baby-faced defendant who acts against his self-interest -- There's still time : on prosecuting a mother for child abuse while faced with the prospect of losing my own -- Not their son, too : on watching the victim's family beg not to have their son's murderer go to prison -- No one who had been raped would have : on watching a female judge victim-blame a teenage girl based on her courtroom attire -- She's always been such a good girl : on cross-examining a naive and helpless mother trying to defend her daughter on trial -- Grandstanding for justice : on the roles we play within the grand jury -- "The chew" : on the role of privilege in charging decisions -- I just don't believe in it! : on the tension between illegal and wrong -- Chess pie : on a prosecutor embraced outside of the courtroom -- It didn't have to happen to me : on the haunting effect of secondary trauma -- Conclusion.