Comment on No criminal charges over British woman shot in US

• LilB0kChoy@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  The grand jury, for the record here, is a bunch of randomly selected people - not the cops, or a prosecutor, or anything like that. Its a jury. And what this jury decides is not guilt, but whether or not there is enough evidence that supports the charges to bring it to a trial.

  No part explicitly but this whole paragraph ignores the fact that the prosecutor presents their case and influences the juries opinion. No defense or alternative argument is made.

  The expression “a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich” is a nod to the fact that, often, a grand jury votes in the direction the prosecutor wants them to.

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  • curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yes, a prosecutor presents evidence to convince a jury to go to trial. They have to influence the jury to agree.

    Defense’s part comes at the trial.

    The expression “a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich” is a nod to the fact that, often, a grand jury votes in the direction the prosecutor wants them to.

    Because they usually bring sufficient evidence, and the jury is only deciding if there is sufficient evidence to move forward. This doesnt decide guilt.

    There are plenty of things to complain about when it comes to the US “justice” system. Grand jury decisions aren’t remotely the problematic part.

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