State's Attorney is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film made at RKO and starring John Barrymore.

[1] The story was supposedly based on the life of criminal lawyer William J. Fallon, who defended 126 homicide cases without any convictions.

[2] Tom Cardigan is a near-alcoholic defense attorney who handles a lot of cases for his childhood friend, gangster Valentine "Vanny" Powers.

Later, Cardigan interviews the material witness and finds it's June (who refuses to return to him, thinking he has betrayed his values so he can become Governor).

Begging the court's indulgence, Cardigan abruptly announces that his assistants will handle the rest of the case.

He then confesses that he had been sent to reform school—with Powers—for burglary and will therefore not run for governor, returning to his defense attorney status immediately.