Fight ‘Em ‘Til We Can’t

The writer of The Mahablog recently finished serving as a juror and “forepersonlady” in a marijuana possession case and says the experience was maddening:

The People contended that a substantial quantity of marijuana that had been found near, not in, the defendant’s apartment had been in the possession of the defendant. The People’s case had holes you could drive a truck through. The detective on whose uncorroborated testimony the prosecution’s entire case was based was caught in several, um, inconsistencies while he was on the witness stand.

Glenn Greenwald’s reaction to the above post is also interesting:

Our judicial system is plagued with towering and systemic flaws, but they receive relatively little public attention because only those who interact frequently with the legal system — judges and lawyers — are really aware of just how broken it is. Other than being an actual party to a civil litigation or criminal proceeding, jury duty provides the best glimpse into how the whole thing works, and Barbara’s reaction is quite typical.

How many defense attorneys go to law school (or at least decide to go into defense work) with a desire to stick it to the man, to change the system, to make a real difference for their clients? I would think the number would be high, yet, if Greenwald is right, do most of us simply become the grease that keeps the broken machine lubricated and chugging on in its dysfunctional ruts?

Inspirational, ain’t it? [tags]juries, justice system[/tags]