Ah, but the problem with respect of our institutions is that, at least for the moment, I'm still listening to the judge, and he knows more about this than I do. I'm listening to the medical examiner at this point, he knows more than I do. And I am listening to the chief, who knows more than I do. Add that to a latent expectation that everyone in government lies, because they do at times, and I will probably roll with what the jury comes up with barring something new afterwards.
You can make an argument here if you think the jurors have been listening to Representative Waters during the trial and that her protest actions will override the considerations of the co-equal court. However, jurors are supposed to be peers. If you are making the argument that this is latent background knowledge --that acquittals result in riots-- to American adults, then that knowledge is built in as part of the peer toolkit. I guess I'm trying to sort this out. Do you think the jurors specifically on the case right now are specifically influenced by Rep Waters, if they have even been allowed to follow the news(have they? I'm not following sequester questions), or is this a general argument that would apply the the jury system in whole? Should the defendant have asked for a bench trial so that his fate would be in the hands of a judge that seems to possess enough spine to tell a local-become-Federal-Rep from across the country to keep her nose out of his trial?