Every criminal defendant who decides to play lawyer walks into court with the same cheerful fantasy. The truth will set them free. Justice will prevail. The jury will hear the facts and nod wisely. That fantasy lasts about five minutes. Courtrooms do not run on truth. They run on rules of evidence, procedure, and a jungle of objections that can strangle your case before the jury ever hears a single word of it. Here is the ugly reality. You might have iron-clad evidence that proves you are innocent. A rock-solid alibi. Scientific evidence. Witnesses who point to the real offender. Maybe even records showing the prosecution’s star witness is a career criminal and a professional liar.  None of that matters! Because before the jury ever hears a whisper of that evidence, you must get it admitted into evidence.  Simple, right?  Not exactly. Across the aisle sits a seasoned prosecutor who has spent years learning how to keep evidence out of the courtroom. He or...