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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 29, 2024

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The judge was prejudiced against Trump from the start. The evidence his lawyer tried to admit was not allowed. Trump was largely prevented from speaking, on the grounds that the fact that he violated Carroll had already been established, so he could say nothing in his own defense. What little Trump did say the judge instructed jurors to ignore, except for his yesses and nos. The judge then instructed jurors to remember that they had the power to punish Trump with punitive damages.

How is any of this evidence of the judge being prejudiced?

The evidence his lawyer tried to admit was not allowed.

Surely you recognise that it is absolutely routine for judges to make rulings on what things can and can't be used as evidence in a case? If you want to claim the judge did something wrong here you'll need to argue he applied the rules of evidence incorrectly or something.

Trump was largely prevented from speaking, on the grounds that the fact that he violated Carroll had already been established, so he could say nothing in his own defense. What little Trump did say the judge instructed jurors to ignore, except for his yesses and nos.

Yes, and this is entirely appropriate. They already had a whole other trial to determine if he sexually assaulted her, and it found that he did. This was a defamation trial over whether or not he defamed her, and if so, over how much he owed her in damages. The judge ensured that the jury only considered evidence relevant to the case before them.

The judge then instructed jurors to remember that they had the power to punish Trump with punitive damages.

Should he have not informed the jury of what they could and could not do??