There was an “asylum of cuckoos” in the Lindsay Clancy trial. Clancy herself doesn’t even deserve that ascription — she is pure evil. Occasionally, the courtroom cameras would capture her contorted face and scary eyes that reflected her dark soul.
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There were lots of cuckoos-in-the-head wearing pink. Who let them out of the asylum? They don’t benefit society, but they sure can scream when they know there is police protection. One wonders who is paying them.
Another cuckoo-in-the-head was Clancy’s chief legal counsel, Kevin Reddington. Per those who devote themselves to such legal observations, he did a commendable job throughout the beginning of the trial but was too performative during closing arguments. Then he demanded that the judge to be more animated when instructing the jury, rather than “gloss over” things. The level-headed judge retorted that he read the instructions clearly, and he’s not an actor infused with pizzazz.
Reddington’s repetitive calls for the judge to dismiss the holdout juror also resemble the monotonous behavior of cuckoos (though they have ulterior mating motives).
To be gracious, let’s give Reddington credit for his robust defense, even if it was sometimes cuckoo. More troubling was his unseemly news conference after the mistrial announcement. After saying this is not a time for gloating, that’s exactly what he did. Often there is a degree of collegiality between opposing lawyers, if not grudging professional respect, but Reddington’s taunts of the Plymouth County district attorney were gratuitous.
Even more churlish, instead of expressing gratitude and support for our jury system, he leveled personal attacks at the holdout juror. It’s one thing to defend his client dutifully, but entirely another to deride a conscientious juror in this age of doxing. What a nasty piece of work Reddington is. If he were a bird, it’d be cuckoo; after all, they also practice ruthless strategies.
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I’m sure the pink-wearing feminists will praise the female foreman, but she also exhibited cuckoo behavior. Indeed, the judge virtually chastised the jury (with a light touch, because he is a decent chap) not to represent the deadlock with precise numbers. In other words, don’t pass notes that indicate the breakdown is 11-1.
The female foreman’s note to the judge about permanent deadlock is also cuckoo — to wit, “it is with a heavy heart that we report we are unable to come to a unanimous decision and will not be able to.”
“Heavy heart”? How dare she invoke such emotion? What a bunch of feminine fluff.
Assuming she wasn’t a messy bundle of emotions behind closed doors, she should be proud of the jury’s long deliberations. Indeed, after declaring the mistrial, the judge commended their service with deep sincerity, not a heavy heart. The judge manages the law, and the jury is supposed to focus on the facts — facts, just the facts, ma’am. There is reason to have a “heavy heart” regarding the atrocities Clancy committed on three of God’s wonderful children, but not regarding the jury’s efforts.
So who flew out of this cuckoo’s nest? The lone holdout juror, that’s who. Presuming he not only understood the judge’s instructions about reasonable doubt, but conscientiously applied them in deliberations, then he is a hero. That’s a strong word, but how else to describe someone who stood his ground during interminable discussions, and didn’t falter even after a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction? The one remained resolute against the tyranny of the majority. That’s the system, despite the cuckoos.
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Image: Andy Morffew via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.