Supreme Court declines second Duke lacrosse appeal

[pnwmom]

48. Well, considering that the whole case was a railroad job,

with a prosecuting attorney playing for African American votes, I guess maybe they should have tried for a change in venue.

And they would have deserved one.

I disagree about Nifong being "behind the 8 ball and painted into a corner." HE CHOSE THIS CASE TO PROSECUTE. He knew from almost the very outset of this case that the students were likely innocent and chose to prosecute anyway. By a month in, when the DNA results came back, he knew for sure. But his election was coming up in six months and he didn't want to drop the case. So he hid the DNA tests for most of a year.

It's one thing to take "extra-legal" methods when you firmly believe in the guilt of the person you're going after, but are just having trouble proving it; quite another to take these same methods when you KNOW they aren't guilty, but are personally benefiting from the publicity.

I do agree with you about prosecutors and judges being elected to their positions -- it leads to all kinds of bad outcomes.