{"id":65718,"date":"2018-09-27T00:56:45","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T06:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=65718"},"modified":"2018-09-27T08:14:16","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T14:14:16","slug":"potentially-a-really-really-really-big-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/potentially-a-really-really-really-big-development.html","title":{"rendered":"Potentially a really, really, really big development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Capitol<\/a>
The United States Capitol at Washington DC \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I really didn\u2019t want to post another item about Judge Kavanaugh and his accusers for at least a day or two \u2014 if, indeed, I ever posted anything on the subject again at all. \u00a0But this is, potentially, a hugely<\/em> important development in the Kavanaugh case, so I\u2019m calling it to your notice in case you\u2019ve missed it:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAhead of pivotal Senate hearing, witnesses surface to say Christine Ford may have mistaken them for Kavanaugh\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shazaaam! \u00a0Who woulda thunk it?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSchumer: \u2018There Is No Presumption of Innocence\u2019 for Kavanaugh\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This, from Nolo\u2019s Plain-English Law Dictionary<\/em>, is well worth considering:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cpresumption of innocence\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most sacred principles in the American criminal justice system, holding that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. In other words, the prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, each essential element of the crime charged.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then this:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing the Presumption of Innocence\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A thoughtful piece, relevant to the headlines and well worth reading:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cReal Answers to Fake News from Greek Historians\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I realize that a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of a candidate for the federal judiciary is not a criminal trial. \u00a0(It shouldn\u2019t<\/em> be, anyway!) \u00a0It\u2019s not even a civil trial. \u00a0Still, the principles that have grown up over the centuries in legal and judicial circles embody a great deal of human wisdom and are helpful and appropriate in many other areas of contention and dispute. \u00a0Here is one of those principles, as taken from the legal dictionary at Law.com:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

preponderance of the evidence<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

n. the greater weight of the evidence required in a civil (non-criminal) lawsuit for the trier of fact (jury or judge without a jury) to decide in favor of one side or the other. This preponderance is based on the more convincing evidence and its probable truth or accuracy, and not on the amount of evidence. Thus, one clearly knowledgeable witness may provide a preponderance of evidence over a dozen witnesses with hazy testimony, or a signed agreement with definite terms may outweigh opinions or speculation about what the parties intended. Preponderance of the evidence is required in a civil case and is contrasted with \u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt,\u201d which is the more severe test of evidence required to convict in a criminal trial. No matter what the definition stated in various legal opinions, the meaning is somewhat subjective.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think that anybody \u2014 short, perhaps, of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)<\/a> \u2014 can seriously maintain that, as I write, Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s guilt has been proven \u201cbeyond reasonable doubt.\u201d \u00a0But has it even been established by \u201cthe preponderance of the evidence\u201d? \u00a0If so, what<\/em> evidence?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 I really didn\u2019t want to post another item about Judge Kavanaugh and his accusers for at least a day or two \u2014 if, indeed, I ever posted anything on the subject again at all. \u00a0But this is, potentially, a hugely important development in the Kavanaugh case, so I\u2019m calling it to your notice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPotentially a really, really, really big development<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    I really didn't want to post another item about Judge Kavanaugh and his accusers for at least a day or two -- if, indeed, I ever posted\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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