zinfamous
No Lifer
- Jul 12, 2006
- 110,658
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What the parents have is the weapon most prosecutors are in abject fear of: The ability of the parents to hire attorneys that have the ability to make said prosecutors look like lost babes in a forest full of wolves.
Along with that are those many other contributing factors that make going up against a family steeped in wealth and political influence a tough nut to crack.
Too, judges are humans first, with the same frailties and desires as any other human. That they can somehow receive "intangible" benefits by turning a sympathetic ear toward a possible benefactor cannot be ignored, no matter how impartial they like to appear to be. By shading the letter of the law with the discretionary powers vested in them to their liking, it's very easy to see how they can be bought off if the benefits and perks present themselves in "just the right way".
Another strike against the fact that judges are elected. This should never be the case. Any time you are dependent on the flippant passions of a profoundly uneducated public above your duty to serve the law, you can never be considered a reliable judge of innocence/guilt.