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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 19, 2026

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Is this ethical behavior for a lawyer? It seems a small step from advising your client what chemicals to use to dissolve the victims body in so the cops would not find anything

The only ethic of a defense attorney is to defend his probably guilty client to the fullest extent of the law. Therefore following the law is his only ethic, otherwise defense attorneys would throw defenses, but this is meta-unethical because it is ethical for everybody to have a good defense. So the only question is, did he tell him to break the law, or did he tell him to move in a legal way? I am guessing the move was legal.

justice system

Maybe if you stop Orwellianly calling it that it will seem clearer. It is merely a legal system, not a special system which comprehends what justice actually is. It is reasonable to have low confidence if a podunk law court interested in airing sexual gossip. It's already a low confidence signal that mere words could be enough to bring charges.

Orwellianly calling it

Sorry, native German speaker. The word "Justiz" in German means the legal system, with no particular claims that it is just ("gerecht").

It's already a low confidence signal that mere words could be enough to bring charges.

I am unclear if he was indicted by a grand jury, and if they had any evidence besides her testimony.

My understanding is that generally, prosecutors do not want to lose court cases, so I suppose that the median tale of "my step-dad totally raped me" would not go to trial.

We also call it the justice system in English.

Hence the old joke: Litigant: "I thought this was a Court of Justice!" Judge: "Actually it is a Court of Law"

My understanding is that generally, prosecutors do not want to lose court cases

Why not? Do they suffer a negative consequence if they lose? Is it at all proportional to what the innocent defendant suffers even if he gets a not guilty verdict?

Sorry, native German speaker.

I'm pretty sure even Anglos call it that. "Criminal justice system" gets zillions of hits.