Donald Trump's conviction was justice. Lying about it dangerous to our fragile democracy.
Zach Klein is the city attorney and chief prosecutor for the city of Columbus.
Americans will remember exactly where they were when they learned a Manhattan jury convicted Donald Trump of 34 felony counts. The moment was historic and unprecedented, a striking example of America’s justice system in action.
While a major political party nominating a convicted felon for president may shock our senses, it is the malevolent questioning of the legitimacy of our nation’s judicial system that truly threatens the very core of the American way of life.
The law is clear
Lawyers are bound by the rule of law and must abide by the outcomes of our justice system.
As Columbus city attorney, members of my team are in the courtroom everyday prosecuting misdemeanor crimes, pursuing derelict landlords and shutting down drug houses, defending the city when we are sued and filing proactive litigation to defend the rights of cities and our residents.
Each state, federal and appellate court my office practices in are guided and constrained by the bedrock principles and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
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While our judicial system is not perfect, our model has been thoroughly refined and continuously improved since our nation’s inception. Centuries of case law and court practices erected safeguards to guarantee power and oversight is distributed between prosecutors, defendants, judges and juries.
Prosecutors are checked by opposing counsel, judges and juries, and layers of appellate review exist to verify fidelity to the law. These judicial checks and balances are designed to promote impartiality, fairness and equal justice under the law, and to ensure no one person is above the law.
No one is above the law - not even Donald Trump
Think about it: citizens like you and your neighbors serve on juries and grand juries to review and weigh evidence, determine the credibility of witnesses and decide guilt or innocence. Independent judges review objections and make decisions as a case proceeds. Appellate review ensures adherence to rule of law and protects against prejudicial errors.
These features exist to guard against an individual or ideology from corrupting the system from within. They are the foundation of the American justice system.
The justice system that holds violent criminals or those who prey on the most vulnerable accountable is the exact same justice system that resulted in the indictment and conviction of both former Ohio Republican House Speaker Larry Householder and former Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blegojevich. It is the same justice system that has led to the indictment and ongoing trial of the current president’s son, and it is the same justice system that resulted in the indictment and conviction of the former president.
It is all the same justice system.
Lies threaten the courts' credibility
We may not always like the decisions handed down by judges and juries, and in America, that is okay. It is well within our rights to say we think a judge or jury got it wrong, but it is downright dangerous to claim that our system is corrupted by politics – it is not.
These poisonous lies threaten the credibility of every case everywhere, ranging from a traffic ticket to a murder case and every prosecution in between. Moreover, they even undermine the legitimacy of an economic system built on honoring contracts and business transactions.
While the political pundits who spew lies and misinformation are dangerous to democracy on their own, the elected leaders and candidates who parrot these same destructive talking points should be ashamed of themselves because they know better.
They know how our judicial system works.
They are aware of the layers of checks and balances designed to prevent abuse, and yet, we’ve seen Republican elected officials and candidates cave to political pressures to curry favor with one individual and his followers by falsely calling into question the independence and legitimacy of our entire system of justice.
This line of thinking undermines the work of prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, judges and juries at every level. These blanket declarations threaten the judicial system and are dangerous to the fragile fabric binding our democracy.
When you begin to pull at that string, it can quickly unravel, eliminating all faith in our justice system. It is these lies, misrepresentations and mistruths that create a true banana republic.
I fear that future and urge elected officials, those seeking office, and anyone who believes in the rule of law to speak the truth about how our justice system operates independently of undue political influence before it is too late.
Zach Klein is the city attorney and chief prosecutor for the city of Columbus.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trump's conviction was fair. Poisonous lies threaten democracy.
