Watching the Lindsay Clancy trial, as well as its aftermath, play out has made me fear, seriously, for the future of this country. A functioning 21st-century society requires a sensible and reliable legal system, and ours seems to be going off the rails.

Clancy sent her husband, Patrick, on errands, and while he was gone, she strangled their three children, including an eight-month-old baby, and then tried to kill herself. Clancy claimed she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, but medical experts who testified admitted that there was no evidence of psychosis in Clancy's extensive medical records, which did show she was being treated for postpartum depression.

The jury in Clancy's case — nine women and three men — not only did not convict her, but 11 of the 12 jurors voted for acquittal on grounds of insanity. The 12th juror's refusal to acquit resulted in a mistrial.

The behavior of Clancy's defense counsel Kevin Reddington was incredibly unprofessional. He attacked the 12th juror publicly after the trial, a stunt that shocked legal experts, including author and commentator Jonathan Turley, who described it as "putting a target" on the man's back. Reddington also proclaimed that he had "crushed" prosecutor Tim Cruz, and then went on ABC's "Good Morning America" and asked for a pardon for Clancy from President Donald Trump. As a matter of law, the president cannot pardon someone charged with an offense under state (as opposed to federal) law. Reddington was apparently unaware of that. Worse, when pressed on the limits of the president's power, Reddington said he wanted Trump to put pressure on Cruz — presumably so Cruz will decide not to retry Clancy.

Perhaps most astonishingly, Reddington called Clancy "a........

© Townhall