There is not much, politically, I see eye to eye on with defense attorney Joe Cheshire. But, years ago, Joe and I worked together when one of my clients hired him as their legal counsel. At a hearing before the State Board of Elections he gave the final argument. Instead of theatrics, he made a carefully researched, clear, articulate explanation of the issues in a case which involved the First Amendment and the right to freedom of speech.

The newspapers report Joe Cheshire recently stated that Durham District Attorney, Mike Nifong, had made “potentially false” statements about his client. He certainly did his homework just as carefully before making that charge.

The Duke Lacrosse case, since it started, has been plagued by extremes. At first blush it appeared to be a case involving extreme racial bigotry. At second blush, it appeared Nifong went to the extreme of using the racial overtones in the case to help win election. Now, with the backlash against Nifong’s mistakes snowballing, the extremes may be swinging in still another direction.

Are there any more twists in this case? The other night a young black woman, talking about the case, raised an interesting question. She said, Alright, let’s assume those three boys are innocent – but do you really think nothing at all happened at that party?

We’ll have to wait to hear from the Attorney General to find out.

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