I stand by what the jury has to say. The jury system works.

[Jose Garcia]

[MaryMagdaline]

1. Yep. Upholding white supremacy all the way

Doing its job.

[LakeArenal]

2. I think being white while supporting black people.

[mikeysnot]

3. We are watching the forefront of fascism

The judge had his foot on the scale the whole case…

[Meowmee]

11. This, all the way

Nazis let another nazi off the hook. It will be open season now. A society that allows average citizens to walk around with these types of weapons when there is no need is crazy. And will always be crazy.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. I think you're right

The judges instructions to the jury have a lot of influence on the verdict unfortunately.

[brooklynite]

14. What instructions to the jury were inconsistent with State law and the evidence presented?

[Bettie]

16. And the prosecutor didn't really

bring his "A" game either.

[Doc Sportello]

4. A list of death row inmates later exonerated

No, the jury system doesn't always work.

United States
As of October 2, 2021, the Innocence Database from Death Penalty Information Center shows 186 exonerations of prisoners on death row in the United States since 1973.[14]

1970s
1977

Delbert Tibbs, Florida. Convicted 1974.[15]
Freddie Pitts and Wilbur Lee, accused of murdering a gas station attendant.
1980s
1987

Joseph Green Brown. Although the prosecution dropped all charges after a new trial was ordered, his conviction was not expunged causing difficulty with employment, and no compensation was given. He was re-arrested in 2012 and charged with the murder of his wife in North Carolina, for which he was convicted on September 12, 2013.[16][17]
Perry Cobb. Illinois. Convicted October 15, 1979.[18]
Darby J. Tillis. Illinois. Convicted October 15, 1979. Perry Cobb and Darby Tillis, two African American men, were convicted of First Degree Murder after a third trial by an all-white jury. The primary witness in the case, Phyllis Santini, was determined to be an accomplice of the actual killer by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Judge in the case, Thomas J. Maloney, was later convicted of accepting bribes.[19]
1989

Randall Dale Adams, Texas (Ex Parte Adams, 768 S.W.2d 281) (Tex. Crim App. 1989). Convicted 1977.[20][21] The Adams case was the subject of The Thin Blue Line.
1990s
1993

Walter McMillian, Alabama. Convicted 1988. [22]
Gregory R. Wilhoit, Oklahoma. Convicted 1987. Along with Ron Williamson, Wilhoit later became the subject of John Grisham's 2006 non-fiction book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.[23]
1995

Robert Charles Cruz, Arizona. Convicted 1981. (Cruz disappeared in 1997. His remains were found in 2007.[24])
Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez, Illinois. Convicted 1985.[25][26]
1996

Joseph Burrows, Illinois. Convicted 1989. Joseph Burrows was released from death row after his attorney Kathleen Zellner persuaded the real killer to confess at the post-conviction hearing, and Peter Rooney, a reporter for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, obtained a recantation from a key witness.[27] The Burrows case was the subject of a book by Rooney titled Die Free: A True Story of Murder, Betrayal and Miscarried Justice.
Verneal Jimerson and Dennis Williams, Illinois. Convicted 1985.[28][29]
Gary Gauger, Illinois. Convicted 1993.[30]
1999

Shareef Cousin, Louisiana (Louisiana v. Cousin, 710 So. 2d 1065 (1998)). Convicted 1996.[31]
Anthony Porter, Illinois. Convicted 1983.[32]
Ron Williamson, Oklahoma. Convicted 1988. Along with Gregory R. Wilhoit, Williamson later became the inspiration for and subject of John Grisham's 2006 non-fiction book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.[23]
Ronald Jones, Illinois. Convicted 1989.[33]
2000s
2000
Earl Washington, Jr., Virginia (pardoned). Convicted 1994 (1984, without life sentence).[34]
Frank Lee Smith, Florida. Convicted 1985. Smith died in prison in January 2000, before being exonerated later that year.[35]
2001
Charles Irvin Fain, Idaho. Convicted 1983.[36]
2002
Juan Roberto Melendez-Colon, Florida. Convicted 1984.[37]
Ray Krone, Arizona (State v. Krone, 897 P.2d 621 (Ariz. 1995) (en banc)). Convicted 1992.[38][39]
2003
Nicholas Yarris, Pennsylvania. Convicted 1982.[40]
John Thompson, Louisiana. Convicted 1985.[41]
2004
Alan Gell, North Carolina. Convicted 1995.[42]
Ernest Willis, Texas. Convicted 1987.[43]
Kirk Bloodsworth, Maryland. Convicted 1985.[44] Kirk Bloodsworth is the first person sentenced to death row to be exonerated by DNA evidence.
Ryan Matthews, Louisiana. Convicted 1999.[45]
2007
Curtis McCarty, Oklahoma. Convicted 1986.[46]
2008
Kennedy Brewer, Mississippi. Convicted 1995.[47]
Glen Edward Chapman, North Carolina. Convicted 1995.[48]
Levon "Bo" Jones, North Carolina. Convicted 1993.[49]
Michael Blair, Texas. Convicted 1994.[50][51][52]
2009
Nathson Fields, Illinois. Convicted 1986.[53]
Paul House, Tennessee. Convicted 1986.[54][55]
Daniel Wade Moore, Alabama. Convicted 2002.[56]
Ronald Kitchen, Illinois. Convicted 1988.[57]
Michael Toney, Texas. Convicted 1999. Toney later died in a car accident on October 3, 2009, just one month and a day after his exoneration.[58]
2010s
2010
Joe D'Ambrosio, Ohio. Convicted 1989. While he was freed in 2010, but not yet exonerated, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the state of Ohio challenging the unconditional writ of habeas corpus and bar to D'Ambrosio's re-prosecution on January 23, 2012, nearly two years later, making D'Ambrosio the 140th death row exoneree since 1973.[59][60]
Anthony Graves, Texas. Convicted 1994.[61]
2011
Gussie Vann, Tennessee. Convicted 1984.[62]
2012
Damon Thibodeaux, Louisiana. Convicted 1997.[63]
Michael Keenan, Ohio. Convicted of the murder of Anthony Klann in 1988.[64]
Seth Penalver, Florida. Convicted 1994.[65]
2013
Reginald Griffin, Missouri. Convicted 1983.[66]
2014
Glenn Ford, Louisiana. Convicted 1984.[67]
Carl Dausch, Florida. Convicted 2011.[68]
Henry Lee McCollum and Leon Brown, North Carolina. Convicted 1984.[69]
Ricky Jackson, Ronnie Bridgeman, and Wiley Bridgeman, Cleveland, Ohio. Convicted 1975.[70]
George Stinney Jr., South Carolina. Convicted in 1944 at the age of 14 for the murders of two girls and sentenced to death by electrocution. Exonerated posthumously in 2014.[71]
2015
Debra Milke, Arizona. Convicted 1990.[72]
Anthony Ray Hinton, Alabama. Convicted 1985.[73]
Willie Manning, Mississippi. Convicted 1996.[74]
Alfred Brown, Texas. Convicted 2005.[75]
Lawrence William Lee, Georgia. Convicted 1987.[76]
Derral Wayne Hodgkins, Florida. Convicted 2013.[77]
William Antunes, Massachusetts. Convicted 1990.
2017[78]
Isaiah McCoy, Delaware. Convicted 2010.[79]
Rodricus Crawford, Louisiana. Convicted 2013.[80]
Ralph Wright, Florida. Convicted 2014.[81]
Rickey Newman, Arkansas. Convicted 2002.[82]
Gabriel Solache, Illinois. Convicted 2000.
Robert Miller, Oklahoma. Convicted 1988.[83]
2018[84]
Vicente Benavides, California. Convicted 1993.[85]
Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin, Florida. Convicted 2006.[86]
2019
Paul Browning, Nevada. Convicted 1986.[87]
Clifford Williams, Florida. Convicted 1976.[88][89]
Charles Finch, North Carolina. Convicted 1976.[90]

[Frasier Balzov]

5. Yet the consequences are so unwelcome.

It is a free pass being given to armed vigilantism.

A most troubling message being sent out to the people of the country.

[Hortensis]

8. Yes. This is a bad case for jurors to fail on,

a little more serious than letting a drunk driver off.

[MarcA]

6. The Jury is a lightning rod for the Legal Industry Complex.

It is no accident that it is so.

[Silent3]

7. There definitely seems to be more of a case for defense than I realized before, even though...

...I still think to a great extent Rittenhouse provoked a situation that didn't ever have to happen.

But between how broad Wisconsin state law is in regard to self-defense, and that apparently Rittenhouse had been chased, hit with a skateboard, had one person (who was shot, but survived) admit that he pulled a gun first, etc., I guess the verdict is fair as possible under the poorly written Wisconsin law.

What bothers me most about the verdict, however, is how many right-wing vigilantes and militia types are going to be emboldened to do worse now.

[roamer65]

9. Former Gov George Ryan (R-IL) ended the death penalty there...

because of failures in the judicial system.

Juries don’t always work.

Those failures cost the states $$$$$$$$.

[Meowmee]

10. The jury system

And the whole legal / court system is well known for not working in many instances.

[S/V Loner]

12. When they said that is was legal for him to...

Last edited Fri Nov 19, 2021, 08:18 PM - Edit history (1)

walk around with that weapon then the verdict only came down whether or not the jury believed that Rittenhouse believed his life was in danger.
The real problem is the legal system and the lack of a national gun policy. Here in CT that would never have happened. He would have been arrested as soon as he openly carried that rifle.
I wasn't surprised at the outcome.

[Hoyt]

15. +1. Allowing rifles dangling from one's neck at a protest is idiotic.

[Jose Garcia]

17. Be careful what you wish for

Depending on what party controls the Federal Government at the moment, a "national gun policy" could look more like Texas than Connecticut.

[S/V Loner]

21. Re-phrase... A sane policy which, of course, would...

never happen with the involvement of the GOP.

[sarisataka]

18. President Biden said

Essentially the same thing. Of course we don't have to like it.

[Jose Garcia]

19. He has good political instincts

[bigtree]

20. bad prosecutions/defenses abound in many cases

...mistrials, appeals, etc. make that sentiment bunk.

[Progressive Jones]

22. I fully question the character and intelligence of this jury. nt

[Devil Child]

23. Agreed n/t

[Skittles]

24. oh aren't you special

[Jose Garcia]

25. I was quoting President Biden

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/biden-responds-to-rittenhouse-verdict-the-jury-system-works-2021-11%3famp

[Skittles]

26. yes, and I repeat

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. It does indeed. Its job, as with most institutions in this white supremacy, is to uphold white

supremacy. When people say "the system works," they are saying that in addition to whatever else they think they mean, whether they know it or not.