You've all heard of Edward DiPrete
Who once held the governor's seat
  For three terms he served,
  But few laws he observed,
So soon he had charges to beat.

After long years of investigation,
He was charged with a big violation.
  Against him and his son,
  bribery and extortion,
and kickbacks in his administration.

But then came an interesting twist,
Concerning the evidence list.
  The defense had complained
  That the trial was profaned
By decorum prosecutors missed.

The attorney general's side
Had failed to fully provide
  an adequate file
  concerning the trial
And about certain info had lied.

The biggest witness for the state
May have been coerced at some rate,
  Or have lied under oath,
  And if either, or both,
It would make the defense's case great.

But this seemingly large crucial fact
Was one that the defense still lacked.
  From the boxes Pine sent
  It was somehow absent,
And that's what DiPrete's lawyers attacked.

Judge Cresto was very aloof
In saying that this was full proof
  That the trial was unfair,
  And that he would prepare
To dismiss the whole case as a goof.

This made Jeffrey Pine very upset,
Who proclaimed it was not over yet.
  His assistant agreed,
  Cresto had a misread,
One as preposterous as it gets.

To let the DiPretes off scot-free
For forgetting a file or three,
  Is a message we send
  That the law you can bend
Since details outweigh what truth may be.

So now five justices will decide
Whether by Cresto's ruling they'll abide.
  If Diprete will escape
  Due to lots of red tape
That the state with its own hands has tied.