Hardly a Surprise

I had a strong feeling that George Zimmerman was going to walk, though I was reluctant to voice it ahead of time.

Was justice done for him and Trayvon Martin? Justice is one of those lovely abstractions we like to hang things on, but when reduced to the human level, justice is a very subjective thing. By itself, our court system doesn’t represent justice. It’s just the vehicle that’s supposed to get us there. The last stage in the process is the trial. As with any adversary situation, much like a sporting event, the better team wins. A clear majority of the legal talking heads on cable TV seemed to conclude that the defense did a much better job of presenting its case than the prosecution did.

Much of the trial was televised as per Florida law, raising the perennial issue of whether cameras in the courtroom are harmful. This may go against the grain, but I have persistently believed that if a single seat in a courtroom is open to a member of the general public, by extension, the rest of us should be able to see the same proceeding, with adequate protections, of course, for the jurors.

While the usual concerns about media hype and the folks in court playing to the cameras are raised, I submit that it’s beneficial for the public to know exactly how our courts work and how our laws are applied. There are cameras on almost every street corner, and while we may not all like the idea, we’re used to them by now. If there were cameras in every courtroom in procedures that are open to the public, we would eventually get used to that concept, and be better educated as well. There would be fewer “trials of the century,” because they’d all be on TV.

To return to the point, though, was justice done in Florida? One Facebook friend commented on a post of mine last night, telling us all to relax, it’s Florida, as if real justice isn’t expected there. If we expect all trials to produce justice, are we expecting too much?

I won’t dodge your lingering question. As I’ve said before, I think this country would be a considerably safer place if we didn’t have Neighborhood Watchers walking around with guns.