What does Reverend Sykes say about his experiences in court in To Kill a Mockingbird?

During the trial, Jem discusses the court proceedings with Reverend Sykes.

In Chapter 21, Reverend Sykes says Judge Taylor has been fair in his address to the jury. In the Reverend's opinion, the judge refrained from publicly taking sides on the case; instead, he has merely charged the members of the jury to vote according to their best judgement. Reverend Sykes's direct quote is,

Oh, he did right well. I ain’t complainin‘ one bit—he was...

During the trial, Jem discusses the court proceedings with Reverend Sykes.

In Chapter 21, Reverend Sykes says Judge Taylor has been fair in his address to the jury. In the Reverend's opinion, the judge refrained from publicly taking sides on the case; instead, he has merely charged the members of the jury to vote according to their best judgement. Reverend Sykes's direct quote is,

Oh, he did right well. I ain’t complainin‘ one bit—he was mighty fair-minded. He sorta said if you believe this, then you’ll have to return one verdict, but if you believe this, you’ll have to return another one.

Reverend Sykes believes Judge Taylor leans a little toward their side in the matter of Tom's innocence. Upon hearing this, Jem pipes up that as an arbiter of justice, Judge Taylor is supposed to be impartial. Jem also states he's confident Tom will win his case.

For his part, Reverend Sykes isn't especially hopeful. He says his experiences in court have been largely the same: he's never seen any jury decide in favor of a black man over a white man.