Reply To: The 18th century judicial process

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January 19, 2025 at 11:54 am #33155

You have all put forth such thoughtful, cogent answers! I don’t have much else to add to the conversation, other than that my feelings as I read the story unfolding were that I was mindful of how new the nation was, and that I was somewhat surprised that there was so much of a formal legal system already in place, while in the meantime, it was still a pretty wild environment, where people often took justice into their own hands without penalty. And there were so many flaws in the legal system that have over the years been addressed and modified (like the concept of conflict of interest; the ability to now produce scientific evidence like paternity testing, DNA, photographic documentation, etc. to support a case; a less homogenous jury selection process, etc.), yet still, so often, justice still isn’t served. I do feel that Rebecca would have had a better chance of gaining justice in this day and age, but I also agree that, as Susan said, she would be tried not only through the legal system, but also through the court of public opinion, and would still suffer an unfair burden of proof, and pain and suffering throughout the process. And I think that if North had been powerful enough, he might still have gotten off without penalty, sadly.

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