OT: Just watch 30 for 30 on Duke Lacrosse case

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#1

If you haven’t watched it, it is mandatory viewing in my opinion.

As an attorney who represented a defendant in a high profile case who was assumed to be guilty by the press and the public before the case ever got started, I am aware of what can happen with preconceived notions, yet, I recall at the time the charges were made 10 years ago I bought in fully. Of course they were guilty. Its Lacrosse, rich white kid sport. Its Duke, we all know they get away with everything (remember the jokes about Duke agreeing with the NCAA to allow a foul to be called on its basketball team as long as it was in the last minute of a game in which they lead by at least 20 points?). Rich privileged white kids at a rich privileged white school. My strong dislike for Duke played into it to. In some way I wanted it to be true.

As I watched the documentary, I couldn’t help but think of the Mixon case at OU. Yes, we have the video, so it is apples and oranges to the Duke case, but you know what? I assumed Mixon was guilty as heck and should be kicked off the the team LONG before I saw the video. Part of the reason? I don’t like OU.

It is sobering to think about all the implications. If someone like me, an experienced attorney, an experienced criminal defense attorney (it has been 20 years now, but I was a very experienced criminal defense attorney in a different life) who knows that what you read in the press has, many times, a passing resemblance to the truth, at best, was still willing to make snap decisions about the case, what does that say for our society?

I am not going on a rant about our criminal justice system. It is still one of the best that has ever been developed (if not the best), and, at least in the Duke case, the truth did come out before anyone went to jail. I am just suggesting we all be willing to let the truth come out in lots of things in life before we make decisions. That was hard to ask people to do 20 years ago, and now with the “instant” world we live in (we want news NOW, what, there is no new recruiting news on this site from when I checked 20 minutes ago??? Why am I paying for this!!!) it is next to impossible.

I told yall this was off topic!

#2

I saw this about 7 months ago, horrible injustice and people may not of went to jail, but lives were ruined forever

#3

I wish I didn’t feel this way.

But I feel about the criminal justice system the way I feel those schools. I don’t trust them

It seems like it is not a search for truth or justice but who can hire the most convincing argument.

I would never answer any questions without a lawyer present whether I was guilty or not.

#4

  1. You are CORRECT about never answering questions without an attorney present. I told my kids that from an early age. If ever questioned by the police, they say “I want my lawyer” followed by, “My lawyer is my father.” I hate that. But, as I mentioned I was a defense attorney in a very high profile case in which if the kid being question has just said “I want a lawyer” instead of talking to the police: (a) he wouldn’t have spend years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit; (b) other people wouldn’t have spent years in jail for a crime they didn’t commit and © the person(s) who committed the crime might have been caught.

  2. The biggest issues with our criminal justice system are: (a) what the Duke people had that others didn’t have was the money to spend on the case. I don’t think their lawyers were any better than most other lawyers. What they had? TIME. The families could afford to pay the lawyers to spend lots and lots of time on the case (the lawyer spending days and days learning all about DNA was CRITICAL, most defendants don’t have the money to pay a lawyer for that kind of time). It isn’t that money buys your necessarily better lawyers, but buys you more time spent by those lawyers. (b) SOME prosecutors (like in the Duke case) are more interested in “getting the win” than they are “getting justice.” Not all. I know some very good ones who are interested in the truth, whatever that is. © The vast majority of cases are defended by public defenders. Nothing wrong with them (I was one for a while) but they have way to big of a case load to spend the amount of time needed on each case and too many times are too inexperienced.

#5

Very True - all of the above,
I know we have what is supposed to be a fair criminal justice system and I know that it was originally arrainged by our fore fathers to be just that. Most of the time justice prevails, but sadly I have some reservations that some of times it don’t.

I was living in CA when the Rodney King and OJ ordeals went down, was in fact working very near where OJ committed his crime. (Yes I say committed the crime). Watched first hand what transpired from the Rodney King incident and fall out afterwards to how that affected (In my opinion) the out come of the OJ trial.

Justice can be bought and timing can affect justice as well.
For the record I hold no ill will towards lawyers, criminal or otherwise as I have benefitted from their services in the past and totally respect their service to society.

(Edited) to say I hold “no” ill will towards lawyers.

#6

It’s a shame Marilyn Mosby didn’t watch that. She might have avoided Nifong’s mistakes if she had.

#7

Thanks for posting. Started watching about 11:00 last night (Christmas Eve) and stayed up till 1:00. Couldn’t turn it off. On a good note, tho, I got to see Santa. Told him I wanted 2 Hog wins this Thursday. He said not to worry, that he wears red and white for a reason!

WPS!!!

#8