That's the title of this op-ed in the Washington Post by Abbe Lowell.
Amen!
Here's the introduction:
Recently we witnessed what has become a familiar scene, so familiar that no one apparently stopped to consider how wrong it was: U.S. Attorney Damian Williams standing at a lectern, holding a news conference to announce the indictment of New York Mayor Eric Adams on charges of bribery and campaign finance offenses.
All this occurred on the day the charges were unsealed, not the day a guilty verdict was issued. You might be forgiven for being confused.
This sort of trial by lectern or show-and-tell indictment is a lamentable phenomenon that needs to be eliminated — now. It erodes the presumption of innocence and subverts the requirement for a fair trial. By the time a trial starts, would-be jurors have been tainted by hearing the worst allegations against a defendant with no rebuttal, and judges can easily form initial opinions that could carry over to their rulings.
2 comments:
But the public has a right to know
So...
Show up for the presser and take the lecturn to offer a rebuttal...or just hold court with the press immediately after...say that these are one sided allegations, etc., and that the US Attorney is perverting the process, has no respect for the rights of people (who is next?) and is violating constitutional protections and case law designed to guarantee fair trials...then, say, which agent would like to help present this to the grand jury as a civil rights investigation...(Bueller...Bueller...?)...and suggest that the inspector general or OPR pick it up....and walk out.
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