Beyond Reasonable Doubt; Has Our Justice System Been Too Overloaded?

Like my individuals, I was fixated on the Casey Anthony trial. Watching the final results the past few days got me to start thinking about a few things. This article examines my thoughts on our justice system and the Casey Anthony trial.

The Law and Media Reporting

First. Casey got a fair trial and sentence. According to the law in the State of Florida, the letter of the law was followed. As TV pundits would say, "We may not like the results, but we have to respect them."

Second. The jury did their job. They might not have liked the verdict they gave, but after examining everything, they felt that there was not enough evidence for murder. TV reporters would then go out into the crowd and get unfavorable responses about the jury.

Third. Speaking of the jury, who in their right mind would threaten them for the verdict they returned? I wonder how anyone would act, if they were in their shoes.

Fourth. The media ate this us and returned it with many different spins. The morning of the sentencing dealt more with how Casey wore her hair than the sentence. Many claimed that Casey wore her hair expecting to walk. I think she wore her hair, because she was more relaxed. The media used this to turn up the crowd outside the courthouse. TV news reporting has changed. Instead of just reporting, they work to develop what I call "improbable reasons." The listeners and crowd take it from there. Ratings are important, anyway you can get them.

The Justice System

How did we get to this point? This case was similar to the OJ Simpson case. Both cases had tons of evidence. Both was in the public eye. Everything was scrutinized from OJ's glove to Casey's hair style. If you are a jurist and you were sitting in on these two cases, you knew that eyes of world were watching you. Your name now becomes juror number four or nine. Maybe the sensationalism was just too great for a person to cope with.

All evidenced is questioned. Comments and the actions of the attorneys are viewed by the jury. The battle in the courtroom becomes a drama on a real life stage. The goal of the defense is to establish reasonable doubt at any cause or risk. The prosecution has to present evidence and present the facts. The judge is the lead official in this contest.

My Take

I often wonder, if our judicial system is over loaded with the various quotations of the law. It appears that for every circumstance, there is a counter. Has the justice system went full circle? Have we reached a point of equal balance? I heard one media person calling for a professional jury instead of a jury of your peers. To be a professional, you would have to have a total understanding of the law. You might even have to have a law degree, of some type. Still, even a professional jury could be bogged down by red tape and countless case in points.

In my way of thinking, we are still doing it right. Sometimes high caliber cases are going to have results we don't like. If individuals like OJ and Casey are guilty, they won't get away with it. There is an old saying, "What goes around, comes around." Look at where OJ is now.

Final Note

There was one guy on HLN, who the media interviewed. He said that he was going to propose to Casey when she walks next week. What was it that Forest Gump's mother said, "Stupid is as stupid does." If the HLN media can conduct an interview with that guy, I can comment on it.