The GOP’s jury nullification is threatening the rule of law — and public safety — in the United States.
And the Trump administration’s attempts to protect Trevor Kirk, a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was convicted of assaulting a Black woman, from accountability is just the latest example.
On Tuesday, activists gathered in Los Angeles to denounce the administration’s apparent effort to shield Kirk from his 10-year sentence after he violently pinned down and pepper-sprayed Jacy Houseton, who had been recording him as he arrested someone else. Even though a jury found Kirk guilty of felony deprivation of rights under color of law, the new U.S. attorney overseeing the case under the Trump administration — an administration led by someone who has pledged to give law enforcement officers immunity from prosecution — has offered Kirk a plea deal that could reduce the charge to a misdemeanor and lessen his sentence to one year in prison.
This is just the most recent example in a growing list of convictions in violent attacks that Republicans have sought to effectively undo.
This is just the most recent example in a growing list of convictions in violent attacks that Republicans have sought to effectively undo.
Right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro and other conservatives have encouraged President Donald Trump to pardon former police officer Derek Chauvin, who pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations after being convicted of murdering George Floyd. Even though a Trump pardon would apply only to Chauvin’s federal crimes, a recent CNN report explained how a potential pardon could help reduce Chauvin’s sentence in his state case, as well.
The most glaring recent example of right-wing jury nullification is arguably Trump’s blanket clemency for about 1,500 people involved in the deadly Jan. 6 riot.
And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s pardon last year of a man convicted of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester is yet another example of Republicans’ willingness to overrule juries if it means protecting a perceived ally.
The message being sent is a dangerous one: Criminal violence may be deemed acceptable, so long as you’re on Republicans’ side.