John Adams reminded jurors in his famous summation of the Boston Massacre trials in 1770, "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Adams was speaking in defense of eight British soldiers who were accused of killing several people in a Boston riot earlier that year. The future statesman and president had agreed to take the unpopular case on principle, even though doing so jeopardized his career. Adams believed the soldiers were entitled to a fair and impartial trial, and he did not think the evidence against them supported their conviction for murder.
The jury agreed.
With hindsight, it is easy to see why. The colonists pushing for a speedy conviction were caught up in the heat of the moment. They could not see that the facts of the situation undermined their accusations. Had Adams not taken the case, the accused would have likely met a different fate, and the rule of law would have proven to be no rule at all.
Almost 249 years later, Republicans in the Senate appear to be caught up in a similar rush to judgment.
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