I don’t understand what you mean about plea bargains, but I’m not sure why you think the system would be better by giving more power to those you hate more.

Yes, for a man who was born in Laramie, Wyoming and raised there, being authentic to himself does play well to juries in Wyoming. But being to true to his Wyoming upbringing also played well to juries in cities and in other states because authenticity is trustworthy.

I practice criminal law, so I haven’t watched civil trials like the one you mention. In my experience, the only lawyers I seeing acting like the one you describe are prosecutors. Criminal defense attorney know that jurors see right through that kind of thing and we can’t afford to fall in that trap

You completely misunderstand Spence. His message was that lawyers need to be authentic. I don’t talk like Spence or wear clothes like him because I’m not a rancher from Wyoming. He preached that lawyers should do the opposite of what you think they do

You have entirely too much faith in judges. Every criticism you have put forward about lawyers and juries also apply to judges. Bringing in the public in the form of jurors is a check on the problems in system that you have identified in a way that judges cannot be.

Jury trials aren’t about the law. Judges control the law in trials. Jury trials are about the facts. Fancy rhetoric can’t change facts, but skilled communicators help jurors understand facts. In my opinion experience, judges aren’t better than juries when it comes to finding facts in criminal cases.

That’s not what happens in real trials.

It will be impossible to meaningfully advocate for victims without empathy and an ability to listen closely and to be creative in thinking about how wounded people can heal. Not to mention that advocacy requires communication that touches people’s heart. Poetry is extraordinarily relevant.

As a criminal defense lawyer, let me assure that much of the injustice and inability to reduce crime and help victims heal is that so many people in the system are like you and don’t know how to think deeply and creatively. You will be better at your job from studying poetry!

When I lived in the PNW, I had moved from Pittsburgh, so my winters became more sunny.

Because they are, in theory, completely focused on the law. They are deeply immersed in a culture that shuns empathy and compassion in favor of interpreting the law. The reason the pardon power exists is to correct the problems that come from that approach.

The Supreme Court is the last body that should have that power!

Trump likes to exercise power over people. Powerful people, he pardons, if he thinks he can own them. People who are not power, he's happy to murder, if he thinks the spectacle will help him. Race and religion factor in here, too, but it's largely about dominance.