Prosecutor Nifong Heads Lynch Mob In North Carolina.

Thanks to the reader of this blog who sent an e-mail pointing me to Thomas Sowell’s column of April 25 on the rape charges that have been leveled against members of the Duke University Lacrosse Team. Here are two quotes from the article.

“Media irresponsibility is one thing. Irresponsibility by an agent of the law is something else -- and much more dangerous. Prosecutors are not just supposed to prosecute. They are supposed to prosecute the right people in the right way. In this case, prosecutor Michael Nifong has proceeded in the wrong way. “

“When a prosecutor acts like he has made up his mind and doesn't want to be confused by the facts, that is when the spirit of the lynch mob has entered the legal system. When this happens on the eve of an election for the prosecutor, it looks even uglier.”

I’ve mentioned it before, but there is an old, somewhat obscure movie directed by Elia Kazan that shows how a prosecutor is supposed to deal with crime, especially when he or she has reason to believe the wrong person has been arrested. The name of the movie is Boomerang, and it is based on a true story. I am not sure what the title means, but in the case of Nifong and other prosecutors who behave badly, I hope it means "what goes around, comes around." The film critic, Leonard Maltin, highly recommends watching Boomerang and so do I.

Read the entire article by Thomas Sowell.