Lawyers representing other defendants were also blunt. At least 10 people are said to have been killed during the clashes between the Brotherhood and opposition protesters during that December night. But only three of the victims were named in the prosecution’s papers. The rest of the dead were simply identified as “others.”

“How come there is a clash between two sides and only one is brought to court?” one defense lawyer asked me during one of many sideline discussions between lawyers and reporters at the recess.

Another observed that the interim military government was worried that if members the Brotherhood were allowed a part in the trial — as victims, not defendants — “their families would gain access to the court and accuse the incumbent regime.” Other lawyers pointed out that Mr. Morsi had been held incommunicado with no access to counsel until the first court break on Monday.

Standing three feet from the metal fence that separated the judges’ bench from the rest of the courtroom, Ragia Omran, a lawyer for some of the victims, tried to defend the proceedings. The trial wasn’t political, she argued. Yes, the charges were brought many months after the fact, and only after Mr. Morsi was deposed. But, Ms. Omran said, she and other lawyers from the Front to Defend Egypt Protesters had been working on the case since December. “It’s important to note that,” she told journalists, raising an index finger for emphasis.

It’s also important to note that she and other lawyers representing the civilians killed, tortured or injured during Mr. Morsi’s rule are settling for what they can get: an accounting from at least a few of the men they believe to be guilty for the anti-protester violence. Never mind that these men, now fallen from power, are being scapegoated by the current authorities. And never mind that these authorities have carefully fashioned this case so as to remain immune from prosecution themselves: The bloodshed of Dec. 5-6 doesn’t implicate any state institutions or security services.

Yet there are victims on all sides. Hundreds of Brotherhood members have been slain by the military since Mr. Morsi was ousted. And no government prosecutor is speaking for them.

The next hearing in Mr. Morsi’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 8. Whether he recognizes the court’s authority by then is anyone’s guess. It’s already clear, however, that whatever justice this court renders will be partial at best.