[wideawake]

Regardless of the facts in this case, the practice of bringing civil rights charges after state cases are done is in fact double jeopardy, pure and simple.

That is not uniformly true, but it is often true.

The problem here is that Ofc. Mehserle's superior at the scene, Ofc. Pirone, was caught on tape yelling a racial epithet at the decedent.

Sadly, that fact alone gives Holder's DOJ all the justification it needs for retrying Ofc. Mehserle.

[org.whodat]

It's former officer, he resigned after the shooting before he could be fired.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Taking an action for which charges have already been filed, changing the "jurisdiction", changing the name of the charge from murder to "denying civil rights" based on depriving the victim of life IS double jeopardy. Maybe the guy should have been found guilty of murder. I certainly think OJ should have been, but filing a secondary charge by the Feds was not the proper response. This is just another area where we have lost our way.