[Verginius Rufus]

I agree...I think the chance that any rape took place involving the lacrosse players is very remote. The best the players can hope for is that no charges will be filed, but they will live under a cloud (and may have significantly lower lifetime earnings as a result of being accused). The accuser, if she is lying, will suffer no penalty for lying, any more than Tawana Brawley did.

If the accusation is bogus but charges are brought anyway, and the prosecutor manages to get an all-black jury, he might be able to get convictions (which would be overturned on appeal)...sort of a reverse of To Kill a Mockingbird...but I doubt they will be able to exclude all whites from the jury. Not that there aren't black people in Durham who would do an honest job as jurors, but the prosecutor could try to make sure none of them were selected.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

The DA wouldn't even need an all-black jury. In Durham there are quite a few left-wing white women who would serve the DA's purpose equally well on a jury. Check out this chick's rant ("But as a woman, I cannot imagine making those accusations unless they were true"):

http://www.newsobserver.com/978/story/424079.html