Judges are essential for protection of liberty

The PE reports on the case of three prison guards convicted of roughing up some prisoners. A jury found the three guards guilty of the allegations which pertained to causing some cuts and bruises to the prisoners. The judge found that their was not sufficient evidence for the jury to find the defendants guilty and therefore overturned the convictions. It may seem peculiar that the judge would overrule the jury but there are documented cases where the jury ignores its obligations to apply the facts to the law and gets cases wrong. Fortunately, there are judges willing to protect the citizenry from the state's occasional overreaching.