“I felt I really hadn’t done my part to be a part of this historical time we’re in,” said Chris Martin, 31, a government contractor who took the day off from work to listen to Mr. Gates, ready to take notes in a leather-bound notebook. “I want to take notes, share them with my kids and say, yeah, I was in the courtroom.”

Legal enthusiasts like Carl Mcadoo, 60, a retired Army veteran who frequently attends trials of varying public intrigue, relished the opportunity to draw their own conclusions from watching the legal arguments firsthand.

“Why go to Cancun, all these major resorts areas, when you can go to all these major cities, sit in these courtrooms and learn more than you ever could in a classroom?” he said.

“To me, this is better than football or basketball,” he added. “This is real-life Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Redskins.”