The good, the bad and the unconscionably bad from the societal carnival that was the Casey Anthony trial:
* It was good that Circuit Judge Belvin Perry kept the jurors’ names sealed. Not in perpetuity, of course, but until the collateral furor subsides. The media made its predictable pitch for immediate access, one that didn’t, alas, allow for hateful dynamics and common sense.
* It was good that the court of public opinion, which doesn’t have to weigh quaint concepts such as reasonable doubt and rules of evidence, didn’t impact the verdict. Had the COPO had its visceral way, there would have been an old-fashioned necktie party behind the Orange County Courthouse before a verdict was even rendered.
* It was good for the jury–which deliberated for 11 hours and did not ask to review any evidence–that it decided not to speak to the media, as was its right, directly after the verdict. They sensed the blindsiding that would surely have been forthcoming. For openers:
^”Any of you–in your gut–really believe Casey Anthony didn’t kill her daughter?”
^”You found her guilty of providing false information to law enforcement officers. Why in the world would she do that?”
^”Any problem with the defendant–with her life likely on the line–not actually taking the stand in her own defense? Or would the testimony of a proven, acknowledged liar have been of no value?”
^”How much of a factor was your six-week cloister in your relatively quick verdict turnaround? The Blagojevich jury was out two weeks.”
* It was a good, actually very good, effective defense put on by the Jose Baez-led Anthony team. It was also a reminder why defendants prefer a–insert euphemism here–to defend them against the other side–one that likely won’t be playing particularly nice.
Baez, the cagey sophist, raised parallel-universe scenarios he didn’t have to prove. He relentlessly hammered at the less-than-conclusive forensic evidence fortuitously compromised by client-induced delays in reporting a “missing” child. And he defused the prosecution’s unflattering characterization of Anthony by reminding the jury that “liar” and “slut” are not synonyms for “murderer.” A defendant can, indeed, be despicably not guilty.
* It was good to reflect that, however tempting at times, we’ve never succumbed to the Napoleonic Code. Not guilty till proven guilty; the onus is on the prosecution. Properly so.
* It was good to reiterate that “not guilty” doesn’t mean “innocent.”
* It was bad, however, that the trial was a soap opera on ‘roids. Just when you think media coverage, notably electronic, can’t descend any lower, it goes into sensationalistic, strident free fall.
* It was bad that Nancy Grace, the public’s taunting zookeeper, was inciting the pitchfork and flambeaux crowd. And why not? It’s what she does, and nobody had better ratings than the self-serving, self-appointed avenging angel of justice. Did she copyright “tot mom”?
* It was bad, to be sure, that checkbook journalism was disgustingly on display. Actually paying for access was an extension of what ABC started three years ago when it paid Casey Anthony a six-figure (“licensing fee”) sum when the case made national headlines for all the obvious reasons. ABC even coughed up money to interview the witness who discovered the decomposed body of Caylee Anthony. The victim’s grandparents were paid by CBS News (for family photos). And more.
And we haven’t seen the last of it. Casey Anthony will sell her version of BaezWorld to somebody. We just know it won’t be the News of the World. And who would be shocked to see a more detailed version of what the jury crucible was like? It’s the marketplace. It’s show biz. It’s the shameless times we are saddled with.
* It’s always bad when any reference to the “criminal justice” system makes us pause for semantic ironies.
* The unconscionably bad:
^The only operative use of the word “innocent” in such a sordid case was in reference to Caylee Anthony. She would have been five years old now. Still innocent. She was dispatched with less care than yard debris.
^An arguably dysfunctional family was legally bludgeoned in public. The cruelest target: the defendant’s father, who was labeled a child molester. He has already attempted suicide once.
^On Sunday Casey Anthony walks. Or slinks. Or skips.