Bull has touched on almost every legal cliché imaginable, which makes it surprising that this week was the show’s first foray into temporary insanity. A young man had been attending spiritual seminars at a cult-like club, but skipped one day to go hit golf balls with his father. While at the range, the young man’s phone rang and the sound put him in a trance. He pulled a club from its bag and beat his father to death. The young man was charged with murder, though he claims that he had no will in the attack. Dr. Bull decides to help.
“The Insanity Defense”—as Dr. Bull and his team ominously refer to their strategy—is popular yarn for good reason. Cases in which the defense arises are invariably suspicious and highly unusual. And people are fascinated by, or deeply suspicious of, the argument that an act like murder can be negated by claims of temporary mental impairment. Insanity attracts viewers because it is the perfect example of our criminal justice system’s chief animating principle: The act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty. Indeed, as great jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “Even a dog knows the difference between being kicked and being stumbled over.”
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