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A Verdict On Rushing To Judgment

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Before actor Wesley Snipes' trial for tax evasion began in Ocala last month, his attorney tried three times to have it moved from the Central Florida city, claiming the black actor couldn't get a fair hearing because of racial prejudice.

In court filings, Snipes' attorney called Ocala "a hotbed of (Ku Klux Klan) activity," and alleged prosecutors chose it to get the best chance at an all-white jury.

Last Friday, after three full days of deliberations, an all-white jury did find Snipes guilty of three misdemeanor counts of failure to file tax returns. But they acquitted him of two more serious felony charges and three more counts of failure to file. Although the Internal Revenue Service can still sue Snipes for back taxes and he faces a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison, it could have been far worse for him.

The Snipes trial shows how wrong it is to rush to judgment, whether serving on a jury or stereotyping an entire community. The jurors took their time and weighed the evidence, and both the prosecutors and Snipes' attorney praised them. Lady Justice would be proud.

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