the legal system
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Virginia Judge Rules Portraits of White Judges Prevents Black Defendant From Receiving a Fair Trial
A judge in Virginia’s Fairfax County has ruled that the portraits of white judges in the courtroom prevent Black defendants from receiving a fair trial. According to the Washington Post, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard issued an opinion on Monday saying that the portraits of the mostly white judges that have presided over…
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Black Man Serving Life Sentence for $20 Marijuana Sale Released From Prison
A Black man in Louisiana who was serving a life sentence over two bags of weed worth only $20 has finally been freed from prison after 12 years. I didn’t need any further proof that the American justice system is far from just, but a life sentence? For what may have barely been an eighth?…
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Pennsylvania Judge Hit With 6 Misconduct Counts Over Racist Comments; Called Juror 'Aunt Jemima'
In Pennsylvania, a white judge is facing six counts of judicial misconduct for being an outright racist. According to Newsweek, a formal complaint was filed against Allegheny County Judge Mark Tranquilli by the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board. The complaint alleges that Tranquilli engaged in racist behavior against Black jurors and defendants since at least 2015.…
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John Bunn, Convicted at 14 for a Crime He Didn’t Commit, Is Finally Exonerated. But Justice Still Hasn’t Been Served
At 14 years old, John Bunn went on trial for murder; the proceeding lasted just one day. Accused in August 1991 of murdering a corrections officer, the Brooklyn, N.Y., teenager was convicted by a jury based on tainted evidence provided by former New York City Police Detective Louis Scarcella. Bunn served 17 years behind bars,…
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Man Who Landed Fatal Punch After Victim Called Him the N-Word Is Found Guilty of 2nd-Degree Murder
A Virginia man who says he punched a woman because she called him the n-word has been convicted of second-degree murder. On Monday an Arlington, Va., jury recommended that Robert Coleman, 27, serve 10 years behind bars for the death of Fedelia Montiel-Benitez, who died in July. But the circumstances of Montiel-Benitez’s death were hotly…