It was very disheartening to read that our senior Senator, Marco Rubio, called the jury verdict finding former President Donald Trump liable for defamation “a joke.” This remark is insulting to the jurors that rendered the verdict and undermines the rule of law.
In his treatise, Democracy In America, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, “the practical intelligence and political good sense of the Americans are mainly attributable to the long use which they have made of the jury in civil causes.” Apparently, Senator Rubio does not share this opinion.
As an experienced criminal defense attorney with over 150 jury trials under my belt, I did not always agree with a jury’s verdict. However, I always respected the jury’s decision.
During the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, former President Trump dubbed Senator Rubio, “Little Marco.” Unfortunately, it appears Trump may have had a point. By denigrating the jury’s verdict, Senator Rubio has shown himself to be a very small man.
Daryl E. Wilcox,
Florida
