It may be one thing when a City Council passes a resolution supporting or opposing issues such as Amendment One or municipal broadband, but —call me krazy —- it’s totally different when they weigh in on a criminal case that has forever affected the lives of two people.
With that in mind, the Winston-Salem City Council is pondering an amicus brief supporting Kalvin Smith’s federal appeal of his conviction for the brutal beating of Jill Marker, popularly known as the Silk Plant Forest case.
It’s debatable how much weight the council’s amicus brief would carry with Judge Catherine Eagles —who— in case you’ve already forgotten, presided over the John Edwards trial—-but I would question how well-informed the council is on this case. The concern is council members will be politically pressured by the Silk Plant forest Truth Committee, which paid for the report from a former FBI agent stating that Smith deserves a new trial. And as we see time and again, when someone pays you to write a report, you best deliver the right answer.
