It was obvious to anyone who paid any attention to the Duke lacrosse case that one of the three defendants, Reade Seligmann, was demonstrably innocent. Seligmann had cell phone records, ATM records, campus security records and the eyewitness testimony of a cab driver to prove that he wasn't at the house rented by lacrosse team members at the time that a stripper claimed she was raped there. But despite his obvious innocence, the prosecutor, Mike Nifong, continued to press criminal charges against him. Today, Seligmann testified at a hearing on whether Nifong violated ethics standards with his conduct in the case.
He said Mr. Nifong refused to meet with his lawyer, who had evidence that Mr. Seligmann was not at the scene when the assault supposedly occurred, saying he was not interested in "fiction." He said Mr. Nifong "smirked" on another occasion when the evidence was offered....It's far too late for justice to be done in this case. An injustice was done to the three accused men that can never be reversed. But the closest thing we can now get to justice is an assurance that Nifong will never be able to railroad another defendant again. Let's hope that happens soon.
The North Carolina State Bar, a state agency, is presenting the case in front of a three-member panel, which today rejected a motion by Mr. Nifong's lawyer to dismiss some of the charges. A decision is expected by Saturday, and Mr. Nifong faces possible disbarment.
