Verdict of zimmerman trial

I know all the residents. It was raining out and he was leisurely walking, taking his time, looking at all the houses. Zimmerman called Sanford police at to report his suspicions Instead of being weighted with the sometimes-impossible task of figuring out what really happened, jurors are asked only to measure the evidence produced against the standard of proof. In criminal cases, prosecutors have a job to do, and most welcome the burden.

They are bringing their case because they believe in the evidence. The jury, then, merely evaluates what the government has produced and decides whether the evidence is convincing beyond a reasonable doubt. As Justice Scalia has written, the jury acts "as a circuit breaker in the State's machinery of justice.

By purposeful design we allow jurors to make the hard calls to balance law and fairness in deciding the facts. This is not a weakness in the jury system, but rather the reason for the jury system. As Judge Learned Hand recognized:. The institution of trial by jury--especially in criminal cases--has its hold upon public favor chiefly for two reasons. The individual can forfeit his liberty--to say nothing of his life--only at the hands of those who, unlike any official, are in no wise accountable, directly or indirectly, for what they do, and who at once separate and melt anonymously in the community from which they came.

Moreover, since if they acquit their verdict is final, no one is likely to suffer of whose conduct they do not morally disapprove; and this introduces a slack into the enforcement of law, tempering its rigor by the mollifying influence of current ethical considerations. At the same time, the jury acts as the community conscience, holding the defendant--a fellow community member--accountable for his or her criminal actions.

As Judge David Bazelon once stated, "The very essence of the jury's function is its role as spokesman for the community conscience in determining whether or not blame can be imposed. In the name of Jesus!! The George Zimmerman Case in Pictures. The Martin family lawyer, Ben Crump, said Trayvon Martin would go down "in the annals of history next to Medgar Evers and Emmett Till as symbols of the fight for equal justice for all.

He added, "All America needs to dig deep to figure out how we learn from this tragedy and make sure it's not repeated. Angela Corey, in a news conference following the verdict, said the state arrested Zimmerman because "We truly believe the mindset of George Zimmerman and the words that he used and that he was out doing what he was doing fit the bill for second degree murder.

Prosecutor John Guy said during his rebuttal at the end of the trial that Zimmerman "had hate in his heart" when he followed Martin the night of the fatal confrontation. She also defended the state's gun laws but said there was a need for responsible use of those weapons. She said the prosecutors respect the jury's verdict, but also said, "We are used to the imperfections of witnesses and evidence.

ET: "I think the prosecution of George Zimmerman was disgraceful… I'm happy this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty," says defense lawyer Don West. ET: "We respect the jury's verdict, but it boils down to a kid minding his own business being followed by a stranger," prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda told reporters at a press conference.

ET: Trayvon Martin parents were not in courtroom, but Zimmerman parents were in the room when the verdict was read. Just before verdict was read, courtroom was utterly silent. All in courtroom still, gaze focused ahead. This case has re-energized the movement to end racial profiling in the United States. Zimmerman, who faced the possibility of life in prison, showed no reaction to the jury's verdict.