An empty suit is placed on a recliner style chair in front of a desk with a microphone. There are three people on a higher platform, near a flag, in a typical configuration of a courtroom.
There is no defendant here, and instead just the clothing where the defendant would typically be.
Why isn't there a person in the clothing?
Are you now, or have you ever been?
scene: a courtroom description: An empty suit is placed on a recliner style chair in front of a desk with a microphone. There are three people on a higher platform, near a flag, in a typical configuration of a courtroom. uncanny: There is no defendant here, and instead just the clothing where the defendant would typically be. entities: Hearing_(law), Invisibility, Accountability. caption: Are you now, or have you ever been?
A meta joke about interrogating someone who doesn't exist. Usually, "Are you now, or have you ever been ..." is followed by a concrete detail, e.g., "involved with the victim?" or "financially tied to the company?" But here, the person being interrogated doesn't exist, and so the question is complete, and turns into a philosophical question about the nature of existence, instead of a benign factual question.