Posted on 09/01/2007 8:43:52 AM PDT by John Jorsett
Embattled former district attorney Mike Nifong was held in criminal contempt of court and sentenced to one day in jail Friday for his actions in the flawed Duke lacrosse team rape case.
Nifong must report to jail September 7, Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III said.
The judge said Nifong's withholding of DNA evidence from defense attorneys was an affront to the integrity of the judicial system.
The evidence potentially would have cleared the three lacrosse players of sexual assault charges months before North Carolina's attorney general dropped them in April.
The players initially were accused of raping an exotic dancer during a party last year.
The specific evidence Nifong was accused of withholding was that DNA profiles found on the alleged rape victim were from unidentified males, but did not match any of the 46 lacrosse team members.
He also was accused of telling the court in a September 22 hearing that a lab report contained complete information on DNA test results, when it omitted that information.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
As he’s led off, Nifong screams, “Ow, my wrist hurts.”
I sure hope the jailer has extremely large hands and an empty tube of KY for the stripsearch
One day in jail? Uno? Single? Why?
well, we didn't expect things to be fair now did we....
Take the Fong out and put the Judge in.
(One day. (AAAARRRRRRRRRGH!)
That’s it?!? or was he just put in jail for lying with more trials(s) to follow later?
One day is not enough.
Our legal/judicial system is severely broken. The lawyers look out for each other and so do the judges. The only reason he got even one day is because of the enormous public outcry and the undeniable seriousness of his manipulation.
If this were a less publicized case, he would have gotten away with ruining people’s lives with no consequences for himself.
It is an excellent example of the old “Three Strokes With A Wet Noodle” sentence. But that was a fairy tale sentence and this is a real world sentence.
Oops! Arguably, there is little of the real in this case.
What is in the water in that state?
Well, one day in jail isn’t much unless he gets the full treatment even for that one short day. Perhaps the cavity search will give him a whole (NPI) new perspective on things. In a perfect world, he’d look up to see three lacross players donning gloves.
I hope that every lawyer, DA or not, pays attention to this. Nifong has utterly destroyed himself.
One day in jail? Uno? Single? Why?
Should be, anyway.
Why?
Judges and prosecutors (even ex-prosecutors) are warp and woof of the same gubmint establishment—that’s why.
The one day sentence is just another in-yer-face message to the unwahed masses—we the people!
Just Plain Dick
~~~~~
Probably. But Nifong's career (and life as he knew it) is over. He faces years of debilitating lawsuits that will leave him penniless.
Of course, he was willing to put these boys in jail and ruin their lives before they really began when he knew they were innocent. Whatever he gets is probably less than he deserves.
I am going to take the unpopular contrary position.
He has been disbarred and no other lawyer is ever going to hire him even as a file clerk. His future career options are pretty much limited to the food services industry ("Please drive up to the first window to pay for your order"). If he has any assets left, he is going to lose them in the coming civil lawsuits.
I don't feel sorry for him one bit. He earned everything that has happened to him. But nothing else that happens to him can ever undo what he did. So I think justice has pretty much been served.
The only remaining travesty is that Crystal Gail Mangum, the alleged "victim," has never been prosecuted and most MSM still won't even publish her name citing "privacy" concerns.
The only remaining travesty is that Crystal Gail Mangum, the alleged "victim," has never been prosecuted and most MSM still won't even publish her name citing "privacy" concerns.Well said Bubba Leroy. I'll have to disagree that he'll never work in the legal profession again; I'd be very surprised if he didn't find a role to play -- after his eventual prison sentence is served -- in like-minded organizations such as the ACLU and DNC.
Lying before the grand jury = 1 day in jail for Nifong, but (according to the trial jurdge) 3 years in jail for Libby. Justice has to be more consistent than that.
You make excellent points. Thank you.
What is happening to our justice system? Now the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the President’s move against employers of illegal aliens. The laws are on the books. The judges are supposed to uphold the law.
IMO there was much more behind the Libby sentence than law. And as for the Nifong sentence, this judge must have fallen on his head recently.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.