Grassley, Hinson, Reynolds missed the point

GUEST COLUMN

RALPH PLAGMAN

It’s time for a civics lesson. Apparently Gov. Kim Reynolds, Rep. Ashley Hinson, and Sen. Chuck Grassley need a refresher course on the system of justice in our country.

The district attorney (known as the county attorney in Iowa) plays a critically important role in our justice system. District attorneys, also called prosecutors, represent the government in criminal cases. They work with law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes, determine whether charges should be filed, and prosecute cases in court. Without district attorneys, crime would be unchecked in our country.

Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for the district of Manhattan, like all district and county attorneys, was elected to his post, just as Reynolds, Hinson, and Grassley were elected to their offices.

District attorneys often seek the help of grand juries to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to accuse a person of a crime. Grand juries prevent the government from unlawfully charging a person of a crime if there is insufficient evidence against them. In New York state, a grand jury has 23 members. They are randomly selected from the citizens of the district. Twelve jurors must agree for an indictment to occur. An indictment means that a majority of the grand jury members believes that there is sufficient evidence to proceed to a trial.

On March 30, 2023, the Manhattan grand jury, after months of investigation, voted to indict Trump. The indictment centered on allegations that Trump falsified business records at his private company to cover up an effort to influence illegally the 2016 election. That is the way grand juries function in all 50 states.

Trump pled not guilty to the charges, and the case moved to a criminal trial, which began April 15. As in all criminal trials, the first order of business is selection of the jury. That process involves the judge, the prosecuting attorneys, and the defense attorneys. On April 18, the 12 jurors and six alternates were officially seated. All 16 are citizens of the Manhattan district and were selected from an original pool of nearly 200 potential jurors.

Several weeks after the trial of Donald Trump began, both sides summarized their cases and rested. After approximately 12 hours of deliberation, the jury rendered its unanimous verdict. Guilty on all 34 felony charges.

Grassley called it a “political lynching.” Reynolds called it a “sham, a complete disregard for democracy.” Hinson said it was “a disgrace and a total sham.”

In actuality, the case was a clinic on how our justice system is designed to operate. Judge Juan Merchan was meticulously fair to both sides.

When prominent political figures malign the process only because their political ally lost, they violate their pledge to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” And they create doubt in the minds of their constituents about the justice system in America, a system established in the Sixth Amendment and ratified in 1791 as part of the United States Bill of Rights. It has served us well for nearly 235 years.

Ralph Plagman is a retired educator, having worked as a teacher and administrator in the Cedar Rapids school district for nearly 50 years.