VICTOR JOECKS: Lady Justice now wears blue-tinted glasses

To maintain its political power, the left routinely uses the law to prosecute its enemies and shield its allies. Here are but a few recent examples.

Think back to the summer of 2020. Black Lives Matters rioters caused at least $1 billion of property damage. Comparatively few people were arrested, and many were later released.

In Seattle, rioters attempted to trap police officers inside a precinct building and then set it on fire. Police eventually abandoned the building. Rioters took over a six-block area and declared it the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. In one violent protest in July 2020, more than 50 police officers were injured.

Yet, last month, the city of Seattle agreed to give $10 million to 50 protesters. The money settled a lawsuit claiming the police used excessive force. If you don’t disperse when police try to break up a riot, you should be arrested, not receive a financial windfall.

Compare that to Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors have gone after scores of nonviolent individuals for offenses such as misdemeanor trespassing. It’s understandable to prosecute those who committed violence. But some “were swept up in the flow of the crowd and did little more than walk into — and then out of — the Capitol,” The New York Times, no right-wing outlet, reported.

It’s the largest investigation the Justice Department has ever undertaken, and it’s hindering investigations into other crimes. A whistleblower told House Republicans that “child sexual abuse material investigations were no longer an FBI priority” as it devoted resources to Jan. 6 efforts.

Yet some Capitol Hill misdeeds are ignored. A tape came out appearing to show a Democrat Senate staffer having sex in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room. Capitol Police won’t be charging him.

Illegal immigration is another great example of this double standard. Biden is supposed to enforce immigration law, but he’s letting in millions of illegals a year. Sanctuary cities explicitly protect criminals from being deported. Washington state used COVID money to give $1,000 payouts to illegals. New York City is giving prepaid debt cards to illegals. Yet, Chicago and NYC are suing bus companies that drop off illegals in their cities.

In NYC, illegal immigrants from Venezuela recently attacked two police officers. Officials charged and released five of them without bail. One of them, Jhoan Boada, flipped reporters off after his release.

Contrast that with Marine veteran Daniel Penny. Last May, he was in a subway car with Jordan Neely, who was threatening passengers. Penny risked his own safety to restrain Neely, who, sadly, died. Penny is a hero. But Penny is white, and Neely is Black. So Penny is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge. Penny would have fared better if he had been an illegal immigrant beating up a police officer.

Welcome to “justice” in the world of leftist prosecutors. They’ll let repeat criminals out on bail immediately but aggressively charge someone when it advances their systemic racism narrative.

Anti-Israel protesters frequently break the law and receive barely a wrist slap. In October, Capitol Police arrested more than 300 people for illegally protesting in a Capitol Hill building. “The 305 people arrested for illegally demonstrating were subsequently released,” the AP reported. NYC protesters arrested for blocking traffic received similar treatment.

Yet, the Biden administration has aggressively charged pro-life activists for far-less disruptive protests. Six people were recently convicted in Tennessee for sitting in front of an abortion clinic door and then singing and praying. They face more than 10 years in prison.

Lady Justice is supposed to be blindfolded. Today, she wears blue-tinted glasses.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.