Three quick points. Fair or not many readers have commented that the fact the deputy who was overpowered was a woman is relevant. I agree to a point, but I’ve seen plenty of scrawny dudes working in similar roles. Still, if there are physical requirements for the job, they should be enforced regardless of the “disparate impact” on women or anybody else.

However, I find it astounding that it is against the law for a defendant to be brought into the courtroom in handcuffs on the grounds that it might influence the jury.

Lastly, the death penalty. Again, this guy is guilty. There are many witnesses, including this poor woman who was shot in the fact, the pistol-whipped AJC reporter, the dozen or so people in the courtroom who were held at bay etc. Nichols apparently went considerably out of his way — postponing his escape — to shoot down a judge. Opponents of the death penalty who make their arguments on procedural grounds — as opposed to strictly moral or ideological grounds — need to explain why this man should not be executed. Fine, fine, there may be others on death row somewhere who shouldn’t be. Or, there may not be. But none of that is relevant to whether this guy should get what he deserves.