The U.S. Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested in four major cities last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities — a record far below the norm in federal assault prosecutions.
All of the dozen cases that made it to trial, mostly in Los Angeles, ended in acquittal, mistrial or dismissal. Experts say that’s surprising for a department known for its ability to win at trial. The last three felony assault cases, in LA and Portland, will go to trial this fall.
DOJ = Depeartment of Jefferyepstinelist
The DOJ wasn’t looking for convictions.
It was looking for a way to make protesters so miserable that others won’t follow suit.
Trials are tedious, stressful, and expensive. By making it clear that protesters will face a felony trial, the DOJ has effectively suppressed protest.
Correct. Here, some prominent protesters are being prosecuted on some utterly BS charges - one’s you’d barely believe - and rather than try to find the money to fight them, and/or risk a loss in court that could leave them locked up for effectively the rest of their lives, some have taken plea bargains instead. I’ve no doubt the Department of Injustice is perfectly happy with this - it has the appearance of them “winning” while dissent and protest are effectively suppressed among those who might be similarly inclined.
The jury trial is one of the cornerstones of civilization
I’m very glad the justice system involves average people to determine a stranger’s fate.
Part of me wonders if this is an attempt to set precedent for not convicting future MAGA rioters the next time they attempt an insurrection.
