Trial by jury has historically been the citizenry’s protection against prosecutorial and judicial overreach. However, jury trials have been disappearing as criminal defendants in federal court are more often than not pleading guilty instead of testing the legal system. In The Vanishing Trial, accomplished lawyer Robert Katzberg explores why trials have become rarities in today’s federal courtrooms, and examines the consequences of a justice system without juries. With reflections from his four-decade courtroom career—first prosecuting federal criminal cases in New York, and then defending high-profile cases across the country—Katzberg recreates a time when trials were commonplace, when average citizens played a key role in the administration of justice, when young lawyers honed significant trial skills, and when veteran courtroom stars performed their craft at the highest level.