Pearlman told me that the Newton trial and its aftermath shaped the course of American history. The trial of Huey P. Newton, the co-founder with Seale of The Black Panther Party, changed the life of David Harper, who deftly navigated his way through the legal labyrinth, joined the jury and became its foreman. During a phone interview with me, she added that "The Newton trial demonstrated the importance of ethnic and gender diversity on juries.".