I highly doubt even if Trump is found guilty in this case he will go to jail. I think probation and fines are the most likely.
I think you're just missing that there are rules and procedures in court and Trump's team, no surprise, wants to act outside of those norms. Have you ever been on a jury? I've been on several (and ugh, are they boring), but it's all about procedure to make sure the letter of the law is followed and that people don't introduce inappropriate bias or influence). I've seen judges admonish attorneys for crossing these little lines, and judges telling me and other jury members to "disregard" that comment or question from an attorney. Happens all the time. And have you ever known a judge, like anyone you're close to? I have a pal who's become a federal judge. One of the most decent people I know, but clearly that doesn't mean all judges are that way. But he really tries to follow the exact letter of the law and he's responsible for making sure the parties in his court follow the letter of the law. That's got to be super difficult for a judge with someone like Trump, who's never followed a rule in his life (and I know that's why some folks love Trump). Whatever. I'm not really following the case so should shut up. I think it's been clear ever since that asshat was born with a gilded pacifier that he'd never be held to any of society's rules. None of these cases will accomplish anything besides showing Americans the truth of the "law" in America. Plenty of folks above the law, and plenty of others completely beneath it, who get not one benefit of the doubt. Try walking into an American court poor.
Given that Trump has been going after his family and Trump's lawyers have made several missteps of the law Judge Merchan has been very fair to Trump.
Maybe ex-governor walker is better at movie reviews than he is at making bad deals with foxcon? No, seems he is equally bad at both...
There will be rules for probation that Dementia Don will never follow. If the judge does sentence Trump to prison, I bet special arrangements will be made to have the time served at a low security federal prison where the Secret Service will be able to manage Trump's security better, if possible. In any case, Dementia Don will claim that he is being unfairly treated ... that the judge had it out for him ... that the judge got even for all of those "innocent" comments Trump made, putting the judge and his family in threat.
this will get overturned so fast on appeal, but the judge and prosecutor don't care, they just want a conviction
I've always wondered, when a juror hears such an admonition, what effect does that have on your deliberations? Are you able to set aside the thing the court told you to ignore, or is it impossible to unring the bell?
I think it's impossible to unring the bell. I was in a jury where the defense lawyer pulled a stunt in closing arguments. The judge told us to disregard but we still talked about it in deliberations. Jury members might have known jail was a possibility, but because they aren't in the industry they won't really know if that's a reasonable expectation. So, to have a defense attorney, who is an industry expert, tell you we're talking about jail time, that's going to reinforce that expectation in jurors' minds that jail will be the result if they convict. That exposes them to a temptation to 'manage' the part they control to manage the ultimate outcome of the case. Because jurors don't like it when they discover that they're actually only entrusted with findings of facts and they don't get to decide the whole case. That dynamic reminds me that I hate jury duty and I aim to never serve again. Most people say it is boring, but I never thought so. In business consulting lingo, there is a mismatch of responsibility and authority. They tell jurors that their role is so important and their decisions will profoundly impact people's lives. But then they carefully curate the information provided, tightly define how decisions are to be made, and take away any avenue by which a jury can think big-picture about justice so that juries don't have authority that anywhere approaches the weight of the responsibility they carry. And yes I understand why they need to create an environment clear of misinformation or red herrings that might contaminate the findings of the court. But, it has always left me as a juror feeling used and abused. Yall have built an elegant little system. Have at it. But leave me out of it.
