(September 2, 2014 at 12:55 pm)Brakeman Wrote:(September 2, 2014 at 11:32 am)Minimalist Wrote: Semantics. They did reverse the conviction and the sentencing and have kept the guy in prison without trial.
No, it's not "semantics." The news stories read to audiences as if a poor man was wrongly convicted, thus the reversal, and imprisoned without trial, which is horrible.
But the facts of the case is that he is a murderer whose lawyers have found a minor problem with one excluded juror over the death sentence and convinced an appeals judge to throw out the expensive trial over a death penalty sentencing issue that is now a mute point now that the death sentence had been commuted to life by the governor. The man's case does not warrant any sympathy at all.
(bold mine)
This drives me crazy. The word is "moot". Please don't use words unless you understand them completely.
That said, I see where you're both coming from. The thing is, the conviction was overturned, guilty or otherwise, and the guy is still sitting in jail. Sucks that it was overturned if he actually was guilty of the crime, but our justice system is such that he shouldn't be in jail.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
