(See part 1 and part 2 of this series here and here.)

1. Some of Jones's supporters say that the Connecticut trial was a "kangaroo" proceeding because the judge excluded matters that Jones wanted to tell the jury.

But it's important to point out that a trial is not some sort of anarchist battleground. It is governed by rules of procedure and rules of evidence that have been developed over centuries of case law. Sometimes these judicial rules are codified into law by the legislative branch of the government. For example, see The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence that govern trials in federal court. The same sorts of rules govern trials in state court, whether they have been codified into law or not.

First-year law students are required to take semester-long courses in civil procedure and evidence. Every civil trial lawyer is expected to have a thorough understanding of both the rules of procedure and the rules of evidence. Woe to any lawyer who walks into a trial, especially in federal court, without having that thorough understanding. He will be skewered by the judge.

Under the rules of evidence, a party cannot tell or show the jury whatever he wants. Any evidence he wishes to bring to the jury's attention must conform with the rules of evidence and it must be offered into evidence under the rules of procedure.