“I will tell you something, that’s the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this.”

trump, speaking of a criminal suspect killed in a gunfight when US Marshals attempted to arrest him. “Justice With Judge Jeanine” Fox Television, Saturday, September 12, 2020

“Retribution?”

I think I vaguely remember that the old America used to have something called “due process,” once upon a time. As I recall, it went something like this:

“The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.”

Constitution of the United States of America, Article III, Sec. 2

Or maybe it went more like this:

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.”

United States Bill of Rights, Sixth Amendment

But “retribution?”

Exactly where in the Constitution is “retribution” part of due process?

Answer: Nowhere. Retribution is mentioned in the Constitution exactly zero times.

Oh. I remember: we don’t need the Constitution anymore. That was the old days.

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