Judge Whitmore had stopped banging her gavel. She stared at Maya with something between respect and fear. "And you gathered all this evidence... how?"
"Legally," Maya said simply. "Unlike whoever framed my father, I didn't break any laws. I just refused to accept that being poor means being powerless."
The silence that followed was deafening. Marcus Thompson had tears streaming down his face. The gallery was transfixed. Even the court reporter had stopped typing, caught up in the drama unfolding before them.
Finally, Judge Whitmore spoke, her voice carefully controlled. "Miss Thompson, while your enthusiasm is noted, I cannot simply allow a child to practice law in my courtroom."
"Then you leave me no choice," Maya said quietly.
She pulled out her phone, connected to the courtroom's Wi-Fi, and held it up. "I'm livestreaming this to my school's legal club, the Michigan Bar Association's ethics committee, and about fifteen news outlets. The title of my stream is 'Judge Denies Defendant Right to Counsel Based on Age Discrimination.' It already has 8,000 viewers."
Crawford lunged forward. "She can't do that! Filming in court is illegal!"
"Actually," Maya said, "Michigan Court Rule 8.109 allows for electronic recording when it serves the interest of justice. Given that you're trying to railroad my father while his appointed counsel plays Candy Crush, I'd say this qualifies."
Sure enough, Brewster quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.
Judge Whitmore's face cycled through several colors before settling on a defeated gray. She knew she was trapped. The livestream had grown to 12,000 viewers. The court of public opinion was in session.
"We'll take a 30-minute recess," she announced weakly, "to consider the unusual circumstances."
As the judge fled to her chambers and the courtroom exploded into chaos, Maya walked to her father. The bailiffs, unsure of protocol, let her approach.
"Baby girl," Marcus whispered through tears, "where did you learn all that?"
Maya smiled, exhausted but unbroken. "From you, Daddy. You taught me to never give up when you're fighting for what's right. The law books just gave me the vocabulary."
In her chambers, Judge Eleanor Whitmore stared at her phone as social media exploded. #LetMayaSpeak was trending. Her nephew Richard was calling frantically. The Michigan Bar Association had already issued a statement about investigating the troubling allegations raised in the Thompson case.