Our jury system seems to lack something in today's political climate

"Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Elise Cooper: Injustice: The American Way?   "Four recent cases show how there is no justice for victims.  Who is speaking for the victims, since they can no longer speak for themselves?  In three of the instances, the "surviving victims" appear to be forgotten as they suffer from losing a loved one forever and ever.  People need to question what is going on in our society." . . .
Kate Steinle . . .
Ahmed Abu Khatallah . . .
Bergdahl . . .
Sarah Sims  . . .
. . . What all these cases show is the complete disregard for victims and their families.  It appears that the judge and jury were looking for any excuse to allow the perpetrator to be given a lesser sentence and not to take responsibility.  For all these cases, Kate's father, Jim Steinle, summed it up: "We're just shocked – saddened and shocked[.] ... [T]hat's about it[.] ... There's no other way you can coin it.  Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Selwyn Duke: We can thank a flawed jury system for the Steinle verdict  

"Much has been said about the acquittal of felonious invader José Inés García Zarate, the killer of young Kate Steinle, who died in her father's arms.  While most of the focus has been on "sanctuary cities" – a euphemism for treasonous, lawless cities – there perhaps has been no scrutiny of the people whose minds are too often a sanctuary from knowledge and reality: modern jurors.

"The problem stems from "The Error of Impartiality," which is the title of an essay on this very subject.  For what is often perceived in jurors as fairness is just fecklessness – of the moral variety.

"When choosing jurors, pains are taken to dismiss people with preconceived notions about the case.  But consider:  if in question is a high-profile matter such as the O.J. Simpson or Steinle case, what kind of person would know nothing about it or have formed no opinions?  Does this reflect impartiality or just indifference?. . ."

"Lionel Cryer (Depicted by actor on FX series) is the juror who gave OJ Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom after the verdict"

. . . "In the final episode of American Crime Story: The People V OJ Simpson showed the moment when one juror gave Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom following the jury's verdict.

"That moment did indeed happen too, though it was not caught by the cameras in the court because they could not reveal the identity of the jurors.

"It is now known that it was Lionel Cryer who raised his fist, a former Black Panther who Marcia Clark decided to not have removed as a juror in the racially-driven case." . . .

Counterpoint: Why Steinle ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict Is Not ‘Disgraceful’
. . . "14. If I could change the system in any way, I’d change the verdict forms. Instead of “guilty” and “not guilty,” I’d change it to “proven” and “not proven.” That’s really what the criminal system is about. It’s not about finding the truth as some people think. It’s exclusively about what can be proven. Sometimes the truth is difficult to prove.(just ask any prosecutor)" . . .