Duke lacrosse: Nifong, Churchill, Brodhead and me

Here's Durham DA Mike Nifong as quoted in the Mar. 29 Raleigh N&O:

"I would like to think that somebody who was not in the bathroom has the human decency to call up and say, 'What am I doing covering up for a bunch of hooligans?' " Nifong said.

"I'd like to be able to think that there were some people in that house that were not involved in this and were as horrified by it as the rest of us are."

This from the Presumption of Innocence article in Legal Encyclopedia, Thompson & Gale.

"In practice the presumption of innocence is animated by the requirement that the government prove the charges against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt."

Here's Winston S. Churchill in a letter to the Times of London, July 8, 1902:

"[I]t is for the accuser to prove his charge, not for the defendant to prove his innocence.”

Here's Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead in his letter to the Friends of Duke University, July 25, 2006:

"We are eager for our students to be proved innocent."

And here I am today, Aug. 4, 2006:

"I would like to think that somebody on the Brodhead team who was not involved in drafting the letter has the human decency to call up and say, 'What am I doing covering up for a bunch that doesn’t understand the common law?'" John in Carolina said.

"I'd like to be able to think that there are at least some people in the Allen Building that were not involved in the letter, and are as horrified by the 'proved innocent' misconception as the rest of us are."