Arbo
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2011
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Re: Not Guilty but not Innocent WTF
The FBI looked into this case long before the trial, and found NOTHING to suggest this was a 'race' crime. So if the DOJ now brings any charges, it will show them to be even more of a joke and political tool than they are already known to be.
The FBI looked into this case long before the trial, and found NOTHING to suggest this was a 'race' crime. So if the DOJ now brings any charges, it will show them to be even more of a joke and political tool than they are already known to be.
Well, this seems more like a "political history" question than a legal one. However, yes it is possible for the Federal government to prosecute a case if there is a reason to believe a civil rights violation has occurred.
Under Program 16.109 the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is funded to undertake prosecution in cases “of national significance” to (among other things) reduce violent activity by private citizens (including organized hate groups) against others because of their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or sex.
There are a series of sections in Federal law where such action is authorized;18 U.S.C. 241, 242, 245, 247, 248, 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, 1592; 1594; 42 U.S.C. 3631. This would fall under an attempt to use 18 U.S.C. § 242 - Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law.
It was most used during the Civil Rights Era when all-white juries acquitted obvious perpetrators or state officials refused to prosecute racial killings. Examples include Byron de la Beckwith, Sam Bowers, and Edgar Ray Killen (all originally released due to hung jury decisions).
However, whether or not the Feds will act on this petition is problematic. The Zimmerman case had a jury of six women, 5 white and one who might be latin(?), who were required to reach unanimous agreement. I suppose anything is possible, but I am not certain the Justice Department would intervene. They didn’t in the Amadou Diallo case in NYC back in 2000, after four police were acquitted of his alleged murder. Clinton was President at the time.