I like to write about things that I know about and try to avoid writing about things that I don’t know about, unless (as is sometimes the case) I’m using the writing to boost my knowledge.  Writing is one of the ways I use to learn.

As a law student, I assisted — was considered “second chair” — on what are called in California “special circumstances” trials.  These are trials where the death penalty is one possible outcome.  Subsequently, as an attorney, I have handled one — and only one — special circumstances case.  Death was off the table, though, within two or three weeks of my coming onto the case.  (We ultimately settled the case, which involved confessions and the prior assistance of my client, leading the police to potential evidence, for a 28-year determinate sentence.  While my client’s family wasn’t happy and stiffed me on the remainder of the bill, my client was more than happy to trade death, or even life without possibility of parole, for the offer.)

In short, I don’t know much about death penalty cases.  I don’t, for example, know why we, the People, kill people to demonstrate that killing people is wrong.  I understand even less why we, the People, think killing an innocent person would demonstrate that killing people is wrong.

And thus I normally don’t write about such things.

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