Many of us are following the ongoing trial(s) and in(s)ane utterances of defendant Donald Trump as he is threatened with facing the music for various criminal acts. The trial relating to covering up illegal campaign actions associated with concealing his sexual assaults and infidelities is ending as I write this.
As usual Trump’s “entertainment value”, as the case against him plays out, is over the top with his seemingly brazen disregard for the legal system having any justification to question anything he has done or wants to do.
It certainly appears that Trump’s belittling of America’s legal system is extremely contagious. Let’s consider Texas Governor Abbot as one example even though he is not the Lone Star State’s sole example of state officials demonstrating impunity against any semblance of a legal system (looking at you Attorney General Ken Paxton along with your crony Lt. Governor Dan Patrick ).
Abbott’s recent pardon of convicted murderer, Daniel Perry, will surely boost his profile in the race to be Trump’s vice-presidential candidate. The murderer went through the legal system with a jury of citizens finding him guilty of killing Garrett Foster at a protest rally in Austin.
Since the protest rally had to do with the George Floyd murder and therefore involved black people, Abbott has effectively provided the get out of jail card to anyone who feels that black people (and any of their supporters including non-blacks for that matter) could effectively be murdered.
Consider some of the damning evidence that Abbott ignores in this case. Documentation showing Perry had threatened to kill such protestors and “negros” was provided. Evidence showing that he said he could get away with it by pleading self-defense (which he used). Witnesses that testified that the man he killed did not raise his legal firearm - which Perry had claimed was the reason he shot Foster multiple times. (The firearm that was supposedly aimed at Perry had the safety on and no bullet in the chamber.) The fact that Perry drove recklessly into the protesters was also considered by the jury.
For Abbott to say this is a stand your ground matter is moot. According to our laws, the man had his day in court and was found guilty of murder by 12 people who heard all the evidence. The highest elected official in Texas chose to ignore our laws.
Let’s remember what we mean by “law.” According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, law is the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
By nullifying the law (against murder of all things), what Abbott has demonstrated is essentially the playbook used by Trump when he had pardon powers and it is the one he intends to use if elected President in November for his own criminal actions.
This is not to say that enforcement of law does not make mistakes at times. But we have processes to unravel mistakes that are permitted by our laws. Do we wish to go with authoritarian style repudiation of legal decisions?
If we allow impunity toward societal laws – particularly by political leaders, we have eliminated a foundational basis of functioning in this country.
Think about it. Are we ready to give up on the rule of law?
W Laurence Doxsey, Retired, Former Director of Office of Sustainability for City of San Antonio, former Environmental Officer for US Department of Housing and Urban Development, former Sustainability Officer for City of Austin, resides outside Medina.
