Introducing this song at a live, 1963 performance he gave under the name,vElston Gunn, Dylan said, it's "about friend of mine" - for whatever that may be worth, which probably isn't a lot. Despite what he might have us think, Dylan's lyrics are virtually never invented entirely out of whole cloth, however brilliant and fresh they still sound. Based on what is known about Dylan's work, often from Dylan himself,a song this long and detailed has to involve at least some fragment of something Dylan heard, read,or experienced, however much he added to, subtracted from, or changed the details to suit the song. One thing for sure, though, is no judge in the US would agree to meet privately with anyone to discuss a case, either ongoing or already decided,and certainly not with anyone (including Bob Dylan) not a party to the case.