David Weir
“Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
When he wrote those words in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963, King was referring to a very different context from yesterday’s Supreme Court announcement that it will take up the issue of presidential immunity — eventually.
In this case, what is at stake is not whether the defendant — Donald Trump — will get his measure of justice but whether we the people will get ours.
That’s because the leisurely pace at which the court is proceeding with this case almost certainly means it will not be able to go to trial until after this November’s election.
And that is unacceptable.
Because if Trump should win that election, this opportunity to adjudicate his role in the Jan. 6th insurrection will never come to be. And our democracy will suffer irreparable harm.
Given that regrettable prospect, I’ve come up with a new truism:
“Accountability too long delayed is accountability denied.”
David Weir is a journalist who has worked and published at Rolling Stone, Salon, Wired.com, The New York Times, The Nation, Mother Jones, New York, New Times, SunDance, and many other publications and sites. He is a co-founder of the Center for Investigative Reporting and the author of four books.
George Conway Explains: All is Not Lost
Trump Case Could Happen in the Midst of His Campaign
