Posted on 08/21/2025 11:51:40 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A judge in Atlanta left a courtroom gasping after he mistakenly delivered a devastating “guilty” verdict for a man charged with murdering a police officer — when the defendant was found “not guilty” on all counts.
Judge Henry M. Newkirk on Friday botched the climax of the week-long murder trial of Alton Oliver, who was accused of fatally shooting off-duty Fulton County Deputy James Thomas in Dec. 2022.
After nine hours of deliberation, the jury found Oliver innocent — but Newkirk left out a critical word, Fox 5 reported. “We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as to all six counts with the bill of indictment. Sheriff, will you please hand this to the state’s counsel and pass it over to–” Newkirk told the court before he was interrupted by several baffled jurors who had just decided the verdict.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
True but legally it does ;-)
That’s the biggest quibble of all. What does the judge read? Proven Guilty or not proven guilty?
Or does he say Guilty or Not Guilty?
It definitely applies to anyone in government though. Actually presumed innocent when proven guilty does. Ask Hillary or Joe Biden.
Either way, guilty or not guilty, it’s a legal judgment, or pronouncement, not a statement of fact or truth.
Everybody (except the guilty) hopes that the judgments of the courts are as close to the truth as possible but we all know that, even sans corruption, there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip when it comes to how legal proceedings are conducted.
All sides play games when it comes to what is presented and how it’s presented and the rules also have both loopholes and restrictions that can affect what truth can and can’t be introduced.
I believe we have the best justice system in the world but I think the average person takes the outcomes of court cases too seriously.
Court judgments are written on paper by men not on stone by God’s finger. ;-)
It’s bound to happen sometimes. Hopefully not on purpose but that’s bound to happen too.
See my post just above this one. :)
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