And through it all, Trump has been required to remain seated, not gesturing, not talking and not using his phone. He has not even been allowed to adjust the temperature a few degrees in a courtroom he described as “freezing.”

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    7 months ago

    The gag generally prohibits Trump from publicly commenting on potential witnesses, jurors and other people involved in the case. […] The prosecutors want Trump fined $1,000 per violation.

    He violated The gag order over ten times. Why the fuck won’t the judge hold him in contempt of court and arrest him?

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        7 months ago

        I’m always in favor of exponential fines. You can start at a very small sum at first offense and if you double at every new offense you’re quickly in the billions.

        • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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          7 months ago

          Just make all fines proportional to net worth. I don’t want poors to be fucked for life for the same behavior that an affluenza sufferer would just pay $100k and be done with. Make contempt like 1% of net worth, everyone can choose how much it is worth to act a fool in court.

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            7 months ago

            This is what exponential fines solve. It can start at $100 and it’ll eventually stop when the unrepentant behavior raises it to the point of crippling the offender economically.

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              7 months ago

              For the record I would much rather have the exponential fines than this $1,000 joke of a punishment.

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              7 months ago

              Yes but that point comes sooner for the poor person than the wealthy person. We should remove inequality in the justice system, not just work around it.

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                7 months ago

                Just don’t repeat the offense, bub. A fine is a deterrent. If it doesn’t deter, it’s not working. Imagine having to assess someone’s net worth every time a fine is to be applied.

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      7 months ago

      2 tier justice system. Although I can imagine a judge rationalizing being so endlessly patient with Trump out of fear of what might happen if they aren’t.

      Not that I would agree with the judge coming to such a decision in that way, but if Trump actually got arrested there’s no telling what his base will do. Could be anything from local unrest to full blown civil war

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        7 months ago

        I imagine there’s a level of over-cautiousness, as one misstep (or even a perceived one) and one friendly appellant judge can overturn the whole thing.

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          7 months ago

          This, to me, is the absolute key of it all. They have to do everything possible in the world to avoid providing even the smallest mote that the defense can use on appeal.

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        7 months ago

        Appeasement always works. The unrest is going to happen one way or another, one way just ends you stuck with the same problem longer until you have to kick its ass globally and it runs to its bunker.

        This sequel fucking sucks.

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      7 months ago

      Sadly, we have to accept that a former president is not a normal citizen and that this entire event is completely without precedent. I suspect that a lot of this behavior will be used against him when it comes to sentencing time. Until then, judges have to do whatever they can to not provide fodder to the hateful right and to preserve security in and around the court, its staff, and their families. They also have to do everything possible to avoid any suggestion of bias, which Trump lawyers will take to appeal.

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        7 months ago

        It’s all fun and games until the republicans get a democratic president in a sham trial, holds them in contempt for some obnoxious reason and sends them to jail based on precedent set with Trump…

        This could be why they are walking a very very fine line with Trump. For good or bad.

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            7 months ago

            No of course not. But why make it easier for them to justify? Let them be seen as the ones breaking precedent. Again it’s a very careful line. I’m not saying it’s the right course, but I understand it.

        • BallsandBayonets@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Or at least I hope that’s one of the outcomes of this trial. 50 years ago I’d have said former Presidents should get almost the same respect as the current President but now, let’s just chuck them in a special retirement home and not let them have visitors.