Clara Potts stood up from her bench, holding the wide cream-colored legal envelope in both hands, and walked to the bailiff’s gate.

The bailiff took the envelope from Clara and laid it directly on Judge Simmons’s desk.

Judge Simmons picked up a silver letter opener, slid the steel blade under the heavy paper flap, and cut the seal open.

He pulled out four yellowed legal pages held together at the top with a heavy brass fastener.

As Judge Simmons turned to the last signature page, his right hand trembled slightly against the edge of the paper.

He stared at the black ink signatures at the bottom of the fourth page for five long seconds.