A horrifying story from a major trial in Florida, where a $1.3 billion tax fraud trail is foundering, illustrates the degree to which racial polarization is dissolving civil society and destroying the justice system.  David Voreacos of Bloomberg reports in a paywalled story:

A trial threatened to descend into chaos after 12 jurors clashed over race and class while weighing charges against a wealthy developer and two others accused of arranging $1.3 billion in phony tax deductions.

One Black man, Juror 44, allegedly said the defendants deserved to go to jail “because they are rich, White and entitled.” A White female, Juror 26, told the judge that she’s “a White person standing up for White people.” The judge had to repeatedly intervene, telling the panel at one point not to say
“f—— you” to one another.  Judge,

I don’t see how either juror can be relied upon to render a fair verdict, but the judge for now is keeping them on the panel:

US District Judge Timothy Batten sought to resolve the matter Tuesday when he denied a US request to remove Jurors 26 or 44. He ruled he could only do so during deliberations if he concluded that “no substantial possibility exists” that a juror based their verdict on “sufficiency of the evidence.”

“Let the deliberations play out, let one juror convince another that he is wrong, and let the jury return a verdict,” Batten, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said in a ruling Tuesday.

For selfish partisan political reasons, agitators (aka, “activists”), politicians, and the media are fanning the flames of racial resentment, devastating police and encouraging crime, and instituting racial discrimination against whites and Asians. The collateral damage includes the opportunity to receive a fair trial if accused of a crime or subject to litigation.

My guess is that there will be hung jury and a mistrial. And this will be a trend. When jurors vote based on race, if jurors are “diverse”, there will be many more.

Our major institutions, on which a just society depends, are dissolving.

Public domain image via Rawpixel.