Posted on 05/24/2024 6:55:19 PM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
Below is my column on Fox.com on the closure of the government and defense cases in the Trump trial. It is clear that the government is going to achieve its objective in avoiding a direct verdict and giving this matter to the jury, which it hopes that the paucity of direct evidence of a crime will be overcome with an abundance of hostility to Donald Trump. As I previously have written, I am still hopeful that these jurors will vindicate the New York legal system with at least a hung jury. In the end, we will see if a Manhattan jury will exercise blind justice or willful blindness. Here is the column: With closing arguments scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, the prosecution of former President Donald Trump will finally head to a jury. Judge Juan Merchan has refused every opportunity to bring an end to this politically manufactured prosecution. Now it will be up to 12 New Yorkers to do what neither the court nor the prosecutors were willing to do: adhere to the rule of law regardless of the identity of the defendant. Merchan has allowed the government to bring back into life a dead misdemeanor and convert it into 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. To accomplish this legal regeneration, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has vaguely referenced a variety of crimes that Trump allegedly was trying to conceal through the business record violations. The problem is that he has left the secondary crime mired in uncertainty to the point that experts on various networks are still debating what the underlying theory is in the case.
Indeed, Bragg is expected to finally state with clarity what he is alleging … at the closing arguments of the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at jonathanturley.org ...
I expect Dem politicians to lie. We are seeing prosecutors trying to catch up to the politicians.
I suppose the blind justice means a guilty verdict and the willful blindness would be not guilty. Just spitballing here.
The Sixth Amendment right to “be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation” — apparently Trump gets to find out what his underlying crime is, when Bragg delivers his closing argument at the end of the trial. Seems a little non-standard.
If you asked Lawrence O’Donnell he would agree with that statement. A sane person would not.
Seems unconstitutional, but they don’t care. I would say that not revealing the exact charges at the beginning is an illegal act, but I have a feeling that Bragg has done this before and got away with it.
I am hoping for exoneration, but am expecting a hung jury. Even in NYC I believe there can be found some decent people who will look at this trial for the farce it is; but unfortunately there are also those who have a severe case of TDS which simply cannot be overcome.
MANhatten is all about locking the Trumpster up.
It’s a done Kangaroo Deal.
I think exoneration would be a miracle, unfortunately.
Jury instructions will be preponderance of evidence never mind “beyond a reasonable doubt “. Guilty verdict cause Trump is guilty of everything!
Larry went to schoolat ST. Sebastions in Newton MA. Not known as being as being a Genius.... just a SNOT
New York law doesn’t require the underlying crime to be identified, proven, or even agreed upon by the jury. It’s my understanding the underlying could be FEC violations, tax violations, or something else. The jury only has to be unanimous on the elements of the charged crimes.
The opposite.
Will the prosecution actually admit that? If so, I thought that was supposed to be the standard in civil cases, not criminal.
I wonder if the idea is to violate Trump's rights so flagrantly that SCOTUS with intervene. Then they would attempt to make congress limit SCOTUS's power, or more likely, force recusal of Alito and Thomas? That's what foul sen. Whitehouse wants to do.
- Charles Dickens
He is classic Lace Curtain Irish .
…
I would want video, of course.
“will the Trump Jury Exercise Blind Justice or Willful Blindness ?”
What kind of extreme willful naivete is that question?
Posters who believe that all 12 jurors will vote guilty could be right, but they are guessing.
It was reported tonight that the jury instructions from Merchan take up 700 pages. Sounds about right when you have 34 felony counts.
Will those instructions ever be released to the public?
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