Judge Drops Charge Against Antiabortion Activists in Planned Parenthood Case

[Sparko]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/antiabor...ase-1469550664

[Teallaura]

Sandi Rios was talking about it this morning. Her guest was one of the attorneys. Evidently, the prosecutor's took the least onerous of the unwinnable objections: that the GJ had violated Texas law and gone outside their mandate.

[Jedidiah]

GJ had violated Texas law.

I never did.

[Jaecp]

Woo, got off with a technicality!

[Tassman]

Woo, got off with a technicality!

Yes, a technically. AND the grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing in any event.

[Teallaura]

Woo, got off with a technicality!

No, it most definitely ISN'T a technicality. A grand jury running wild should scare the pants off of you - it has enormous power. It acted improperly - WAY PAST improperly both under Texas law and in the basic ethics division.

Remember, the laws that restrict the grand jury protect YOU as well.

[Jaecp]

No, it most definitely ISN'T a technicality. A grand jury running wild should scare the pants off of you - it has enormous power. It acted improperly - WAY PAST improperly both under Texas law and in the basic ethics division.

Remember, the laws that restrict the grand jury protect YOU as well.

They made a procedural error, admitted it and asked for the case to be dismissed. Certainly looks like it was dismissed on something technical as opposed to the merits of the case, aka, a technicality. And yes, those technical aspects of the legal system are to protect us from malfeasance. This case was dismissed for such a violation and not for the grand jury "running wild" or whatever, but because the prosecutors office gave them extra information past a certain deadline.

[Teallaura]

They made a procedural error, admitted it and asked for the case to be dismissed. Certainly looks like it was dismissed on something technical as opposed to the merits of the case, aka, a technicality. And yes, those technical aspects of the legal system are to protect us from malfeasance. This case was dismissed for such a violation and not for the grand jury "running wild" or whatever, but because the prosecutors office gave them extra information past a certain deadline.

No, a procedural error - which this isn't - would not have gone so far. Prosecutors, not grand juries, have discretion. The DA knew the instant he heard the finding that they were out of bounds - or he's an incompetent - yet he proceeded until he finally realized the accused had competent counsel and he was about to get a very big black eye. He simply picked the least onerous of a bad bunch of excuses.