The Penn State trial ended on Wednesday with a whimper and without hearing from the man around whom the case is about— the defendant, Jerry Sandusky. In what was a smart legal move, the defense rested without calling its star witness, Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky’s prior spoken appearances about the Penn state scandal have not been favorable to him. And for lawyers to have called him would amount to legal suicide. Yet, in the small Penn State community, many persons are upset that he did not take the stand to explain what happened. One woman who sent students to the Second Mile Charity arrived at 3:00 a.m. to ensure a seat in the courtroom. She wanted to hear Jerry Sandusky’s explanation. And therein is the problem. There is no explaining in the world to explain away why the boys, now young men, would lie about Sandusky having oral, anal and inappropriate sexual touching and fondling of them. The jurors will be instructed that Sandusky’s failure to testify cannot be held against … [Read more...] about Why Sandusky Rests Case Without Saying a Word
Archives for June 2012
Why Jerry Sandusky’s Lawyers Can’t Save Him
The moment of truth is about to begin for Jerry Sandusky with the defense weighing whether he should take the stand in his own defense. After hearing the sexually sordid and heart wrenching testimony of eight victims, the defense will have to come up with a plan to keep Sandusky out of jail. Hearing the testimony of eight victims, the jury could be thinking by now where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. The defense has called on character witnesses such as Penn State coaches to testify that they saw him take showers with boys and saw nothing wrong. Obviously, the argument will be made by the prosecution that they are protecting a friend. So what are the defense team’s options to save Jerry Sandusky? Right now, it looks as if Sandusky’s defense is trying to throw stuff up against a wall and hope something sticks. First, it looks like they want to impress the jury that Sandusky is a nice guy—just one of the boys. Then, the defense is playing up the fact that most of the … [Read more...] about Why Jerry Sandusky’s Lawyers Can’t Save Him
Why Did Roger Clemens Face Charges but Bankers Remain Free?
In the public eye, the use of steroids or any other sports performance enhancement drug is like a man taking erectile dysfunction drugs to enhance performance. No one seems to care. In the sports world, the use of steroids and other sports enhancing drugs is banned. They demean the sports and performance of those who play by the rules. None of this matters in the public view which may say a lot about how we feel about sports. I think it says less about sports than it does about how we judge what is important to us in the legal system. The money spent by the Justice Department to bring down athletes like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens is astronomical and in the millions. Fortunately, the Justice Department passed on bringing charges against Lance Armstrong although the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is now pursuing charges against him. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is jointly funded by the US Olympics and the federal government. The case is not a criminal one. The U.S. Attorney’s office … [Read more...] about Why Did Roger Clemens Face Charges but Bankers Remain Free?
The Lessons of Rodney King for Today
Hearing that Rodney King died on June 17, I flashed backed to the incident that brought him into prominence. Who could forget the brutal beating that Rodney took at the hands and batons of seven police officers, following a police chase? I still remember vividly how I felt when the Rodney King verdict of not guilty for the police officers, who were seen on tape viciously beating him, was announced. I felt astonished, angry, upset and in disbelief. As a former prosecutor, I felt that the case should be a slam dunk for the prosecution. It is rare to actually have video of a criminal incident. And yet, in the case of Rodney King, it did not matter to the all white jury, who refused to believe their eyes. It is as if the jury blocked out the truth and replaced it with a lie. The feelings that I felt were magnified 100 times or more by some in Los Angeles when the verdict caused eruptions of riots killing 50 persons and injuring many more. And surprisingly, it was Rodney King who … [Read more...] about The Lessons of Rodney King for Today
Why Does Mitt Romney Hate Teachers but Love Crime?
Mitt Romney plans to move America forward by taking us backwards to decrease teachers, police and firefighters. And he’s got the experience and action to back up his words. Romney claims we don’t need “more firemen, more policemen or more teachers. “ Firing or eliminating more public servants will not strengthen the economy or make us a better country. We need to improve education in this country and not further denigrate it. The U.S. has lost its standing in the world in education. And it’s not just China that’s ahead of us. According to 2009 reports, the U.S. trails its global leaders in education. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Education Secretary Arnie Duncan called this a “wake up call” for America. Apparently, Mitt Romney calls it an opportunity to get rid of more teachers. Romney thinks we need less teachers which will cause us to further lose our education standing in the world. On Romney’s web site, he says his … [Read more...] about Why Does Mitt Romney Hate Teachers but Love Crime?
This Week in D.C. Politics and Law
In the revolving door of what has become D.C. politics, the D.C. City Council chose Councilman Phil Mendelson as interim Council Chair, replacing Kwame Brown who resigned and plead guilty for felony bank charges. Then with a little flames and a lot of fire of the tongues, Councilman Vincent Orange fought for pro tem councilman. Finally, Council woman Yvette Alexander stepped in to remind the members that there must be unity among the City Council in moving the City forward. In the final outcome, as it was in the bag ahead of time, Councilman Michael Brown was voted in as councilman pro tem. But Councilman Orange made known, as if it wasn’t clear before, that he intends to run for City Council Chair in the special election to be held on November 6. With all the recent developments in DC politics, it’s anyone’s guess if there won’t be more resignations. There’s still the pending investigation of Mayor Gray with two of his aides having plead guilty for illegal actions during the … [Read more...] about This Week in D.C. Politics and Law