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jberryhill

(62,444 posts) Wed May 23, 2012, 11:06 AM May 2012

The feds can act when they want

Zimmerman is currently being prosecuted by the state of Florida, in the Florida court system, under Florida law.

A federal prosecutor can charge and try Zimmerman in a federal court for a violation of federal law, upon indictment of Zimmerman by a grand jury.

These two processes don't have much to do with each other.

HOWEVER, it is normal for the state and federal prosecutors to coordinate, and for the federal prosecutors to defer to allowing state processes to run.