“Justice has nothing to do with what goes on in a courtroom; justice is what comes out of a courtroom.” Clarence Darrow
Justice is supposed to be blind, but for many it is only a one-eyed lady. They feel that once in a while she is lifting her blindfold to sneak a peek at the people appealing to her.
Is the good lady totally unbiased? She might be full good intentions, but she has to contend with some very clever lawyers bent on bamboozling her.
Things are not always what they seem to be. Ultimately, it is the version the most cleverly presented to the jury that will prevail.
In Jussie Smollett’s notorious case, initially, good people jumped on the bandwagon to rally against this blatant racist attack.
But from the beginning, things looked pretty fishy. First of all, for a man who had been trashed by two thugs, “Juicy” showed very few marks of physical violence.
Secondly, if this was a random attack, it is very unlikely that the assailants would carry a noose with them. And what about the bleach? And no witnesses…?
While at first everybody sympathized with the actor, it turned out that the purported attack was quite different than previously reported. After a detailed police investigation, Smollett’s story unraveled and most people concluded that his account of the story was a hoax.
Despite his claims of innocence, public opinion considered him guilty.
Suddenly all charges against the accused are dropped and the man is mysteriously exonerated. Lady Justice, what happened? Are you privy to something that we don’t know? I feel that some very strong emotional currents running under this story derailed the affair and that justice was misled.
By the way, “exonerated” does not mean “not guilty”. More precisely, it means “relieved of a responsibility”. Significant difference.
The city of Chicago (plagued by crime) is less than happy about this conclusion.
Final thought
I am of the opinion that we should present this case to Judge Judy. The 76-year-old no-nonsense firecracker would decorticate this affair in less than 10 minutes. “Show me” she would say, and you’d better show her what she demands. And um… is not an answer!
Like many Americans hungry for justice, I think that she would do a great job grilling POTUS.
The truth shall set you free!
Alain