Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Police State & Federal Trials

In April, 1992, the four Los Angeles Police officers accused of beating Rodney King were acquitted, touching off the most destructive civil unrest in United States history. Most Americans were mystified by the juryÆs verdicts, wondering how 12 people could fail to convict the four officers who had been captured on video tape beating King. The next year, the officers were tried againùthis time in federal courtùand two were convicted. For most Americans, unfamiliar with the subtleties of the law, this appeared to violate the officersÆ constitutional right not to be subjected to ôdouble jeopardy.ö This paper will attempt to explain both quandaries, examining why the officers were acquitted in state court and convicted in federal court, and then explaining why the federal trial did not violate their constitutional rights.

The stateÆs case suffered a major blow before the trial even began when the Court of Appeals ordered the proceedings removed from Los Angeles County. The defense had asked for the change of venue, arguing that the enormous pretrial publicity would prevent their clients from getting a fair trial in Los Angeles County. Judge Stanley Weisberg denied their motion, but the Court of Appeals reversed.

In the eyes of many, WeisbergÆs next decision is the one that sealed the fate of the prosecution. Instead of moving the case to another county with similar demographics (such as San Francisco or Alameda), Weisberg moved the case to Simi Valley in neighboring Ventura County. Some have suggested that personal convenience motivated WeisbergÆs decision (Cannon, 1998).

Whatever the motivation, WeisbergÆs decision moved the case from Los Angeles County, whose population is 64 percent nonwhite, to Ventura County, whose population is 34 percent nonwhite (Cohen, 1992). That would prove critical in a case where four white officers were charged with beating an African-American man. More importantly, Weisberg...

Page 1 of 9 Next >

More on Police State & Federal Trials...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Police State & Federal Trials. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:10, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712874.html