Columbia Judge Joe Anderson a ‘My Cousin Vinny’ superfan

Like numerous lawyers, law professors and judges around the country, U.S. Judge Joe Anderson has long been an admirer of the off-beat legal comedy-drama “My Cousin Vinny.”

The 1992 movie is about two students from New York wrongly arrested for murder in a small Alabama town. They summon a bumbling neophyte lawyer – “Vinny” Gambini, played by Joe Pesci – from New York to represent them in their death penalty trial.

“It might seem like a silly movie, but if you look deeper, there are some good teaching points about lawyers and life’s lessons,” said Anderson, 67, in an interview.

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal highlighted Anderson and “My Cousin Vinny” in a front page article that also noted the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was a fan.

Anderson, known for his earnest, serious manner, uses the movie in an evidence class he teaches at University of South Carolina law school. He also has published an essay in legal publications entitled “Ten Things Every Trial Lawyer Could Learn from Vincent La Guardia Gambini.”

The movie gets trial details right and depicts learning and character experiences law schools try to teach, said Anderson, who has seen the movie dozens of times.

Lessons include the value of perseverance, how to cross-examine a witness, the use of expert witnesses, reacting to quickly changing circumstances and keeping one’s ego in check, Anderson says.

Anderson’s devotion to the movie isn’t limited to its life lessons. He also collected props used in the actual movie: the wooden gavel banged by the film’s stern judge and the plywood store sign where the film’s murder took place.

“In the end, Vinny grows as a person, and he grows as a lawyer, and he realizes he doesn’t have a monopoly on wisdom,” Anderson said.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Columbia Judge Joe Anderson a ‘My Cousin Vinny’ superfan."