Talkleft takes and in depth look at the Jena 6 case and offers a lawyers opinion in only the way a lawyer can:
Like other bloggers, I got a few emails about the case before the march. It wasn’t until the day of the march that I did my own research. I spent more than three hours reading news articles online and on Lexis and reading blogs. I also watched the CNN one hour special. Even afterwards, I was too unsure of key details to do anything but write a post linking to news sources.
The MSM coverage was not particularly helpful. This is not about a singular event but a course of events, including criminal acts, that culminated in yet another criminal act. But too many news articles glossed over critical components.
There’s also a lack of double-sourcing or other reliable means available for resolving the disputed facts with respect to several essential components of the story.
While I still can’t make judgments as to much of the story, I have no problem declaring the case one of prosecutorial over-charging and abuse of a system that allows prosecutors discretion in charging juveniles as adults. I think the only reason the kids were charged with such serious felonies was to get Mychal Bell, then a juvenile, into adult court.
Sounds like prosecuters abuse their discretion both with black and white defendants, the entire discussion is worth reading