For one judge in New York City, it seems, justice depends on wokeness.
A career criminal and gang member named William “Ill Will” Scott, who has a history of 25 arrests since 1999, was accused of shooting a man twice in the leg during a June 2020 altercation. The shooting occurred in Manhattan.
A grand jury in the suburbs duly indicted him, which seemed easy enough to do since the shooting was on video, the New York Post reported.
Yet Judge Analisa Torres, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, tossed the indictment.
She claimed Scott offered “clear statistical evidence” that the grand jury, ironically located in White Plains, was plagued by an “underrepresentation of Black and Latinx individuals.”
The judge claimed Scott had proved the grand jury selection process “was susceptible to abuse,” the Post reported.
“The Government has failed to meet its burden by coming forward with evidence rebutting the presumption that such underrepresentation was the result of purposeful discrimination,” she wrote Monday.
“Therefore, Defendant has established a violation of his Fifth Amendment right to a race-neutral jury selection process.”
Prosecutors gamely tried to shoot down Scott’s claim.
They pointed out that they had to go outside Manhattan because no grand jury was empaneled when they sought the indictment, and that jury selection was “exceptionally limited – generally, and specifically in Manhattan – due to the pandemic.”
The even noted that three other federal judges in Manhattan had rejected arguments similar to Scott’s.
Yet, it’s clear that Judge Torres was not persuaded.
The good news, for New Yorkers seeking to avoid being crime victims, is that Scott was indicted by a different grand jury and his case is before another judge, according to the Post.
Someone should tell Judge Torres that justice is supposed to be blind – and that includes color-blind as well.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon.
Support journalism by clicking here to our gofundme or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here
