Why does it take weeks for the Floyd death to result in arrests and charges? Prosecutors do not want to bring cases to court that they are likely to lose. In cases against police, the Supreme Court has ruled that they have limited immunity, which means that their activities are presumed to be necessary enforcement. In Minneapolis, no charges against an officer has been won in cases that have gone to court.
Also, visual evidence to the public is not enough to bring a case to court by prosecutors. Research is the first step in law, such as statements from witnesses or others. This stage may take weeks or months or years.
Finally, US law is based on precedents of previous law. In the Floyd case, there were few if any convictions against police because of “qualified immunity” which protected them. In Colorado, legislation was just introduced to remove “qualified immunity” from law.
There are two resources I used in this blog: A course in “Everyday Law” from the online Great Courses, and an excellent book by Preet Bharara, “Doing Justice: A prosecutor’s thoughts on crime. Punishment, and the rule of law.” My blog, Lifetasks.org, is designed to bring you the review of news that are important to you including mental health issues, religion, and philosophy. It is still under construction but will open soon. It also includes resources for more information.
