The Life Of Loyal High-Profile Trial Spectators

The Astor trial, which features the late philanthropist's son accused of looting his mother's fortune, has been going on for weeks—but that's not a problem for Judy Natkins and another woman named Gladys, who have been attending almost every day of the trial. The NY Times casts a spotlight on these devotees of the judicial system: "Gladys, who said that the trial has been a needed distraction after several deaths in her family, acknowledged she was among those curious about the celebrity witnesses, saying she paid particular attention to 'how they dressed, how they spoke, how they looked.' She confided: 'Barbara Walters looked terrific. Henry Kissinger looked fat.'" On one day, Natkins even joined reporters in questioning one witness, "Have you ever considered writing a book about your experience?" Gladys has attended the trials of Joel B. Steinberg, John Gotti Jr., and Robert Chambers while Natkins has been to Martha Stewart's trial and, in order to "see what evil looked like," spent a day at the trial of the police officers accused of abusing Abner Louima. As for the slow pace of the trial, the women are sitting tight, though Gladys said, "I’m leaving as soon as the Gotti trial starts up."