They say a president’s legacy are his appointments to the Supreme Court. I believe that. George H. W. Bush has a shameful legacy with his placement of Clarence Thomas to the highest court in the land.
Thomas replaced a Civil Rights pioneer so it’s ironic he was the lone dissenter in a case regarding racial bias regarding jury placements. SCOTUS reversed the capital conviction of a black man from Georgia because the prosecution used its peremptory challenges to strike all the black members of the jury pool. Prosecutors actually made notes on the potential jurors who were black by placing a “B” by their names.
There are staunch conservatives on the Supreme Court and each of them voted to reverse the conviction, except for Thomas. Thomas argues that the case was one for state law, not federal. It’s kinda bizarre that the right to a fair trial isn’t an issue for the federal government in Thomas’ eyes. Thomas also failed to see any problem with excluding potential jurors based on race.
I believe in a fair justice system. Call me naive, but I also believe everyone deserves a fair trial, no matter how heinous the crime, especially when a life is at stake.
I don’t know if an all-white jury would help Bill Cosby in his upcoming sexual assault case, but I’m sure a bunch of Republican dudes who can’t provide the definition of rape, and who also like Jello, wouldn’t hurt.
This cartoon and post by Clay Jones are from his website www.claytoonz.com