Accused officers have rights

OPINION:

So President Biden will host as guests in the gallery at the upcoming State of the Union speech the parents of slain Memphis man Tyre Nichols. This is not only a vicious canard, it is also an ill-advised one. Such an action will polarize an already volatile national zeitgeist and could jeopardize the Sixth Amendment rights of the now ex-police officers who stand accused of killing Mr. Nichols. That could mean the men do not receive a fair and impartial trial.

Mr. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are all lawyers. As such, they are bound by their oaths to observe and defend the rights of the accused. To subjugate that sworn obligation for political gain is more than just throwing gasoline on the proverbial bonfire. It is a betrayal of their oaths as attorneys at law who are sworn to uphold the rule of law.

MIKE McADOO

San Francisco