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71 Dep't of Just. J. Fed. L. & Prac. 105 (2023)
The Power of the Visual: Incorporating Images into Briefs

handle is hein.journals/usab71 and id is 107 raw text is: The Power of the Visual: Incorporating Images into Briefs Gaines H. Cleveland Assistant U.S. Attorney Southern District of Mississippi Some venerable lawyers will remember when briefs were prepared by typing pools. Only with the advent of word processing allowing for the insertion of images directly into the text have lawyers produced briefs and other filings that permit judges to see what lawyers are referring to with the immediacy of having the images appear next to the accompany- ing text.1 This article addresses (1) why using visual images is effective, (2) when best to incorporate visuals, and (3) how to make use of graphics in briefs and other court submissions. I. Why visuals have power In our digital world, information consumers are accustomed to receiv- ing knowledge graphically with its attendant visual impact.2 Judges are no different in their receptivity to such images. Indeed, judicial opinions increasingly feature graphics. For example, one judge chose to display an image of an AK-47 in discussing whether a gun's magazine was a com- ponent of the weapon. See Example 1.3 Example 1: Image of Possible Component 1 Robert Dubose, Presentation at the 26th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals: Briefing Visually (June 9-10, 2016). 2 Jennifer L. Mnookin, The Image of Truth: Photographic Evidence and the Power of Analogy, 10 YALE J.L. & HUMANS. 1 (1998) (Maxims that urge the power of images are cultural commonplaces with which we are all too familiar: 'a picture's worth a thousand words,' 'seeing is believing,' and so forth.). 3 United States v. Gonzalez, 792 F.3d 534, 535-36 (5th Cir. 2015). DOJ Journal of Federal Law and Practice April 2023 105

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