When someone is charged with driving under the influence in Minnesota, it can feel like there is no way around a DWI conviction. Each DWI case is different, and some most definitely have clear avenues toward an acquittal.
Last week, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, saw how fighting an impaired driving charge can pay off in the end. In her specific out-of-state case, a jury found her not guilty of DUI drugs. While Kennedy celebrates the legal victory, some in the public are wondering whether the outcome of her DUI arrest is linked to her high-profile status.
In an ideal world, the legal system would provide the same opportunity and treatment to individual criminal defendants from all walks of life. Kennedy’s auto mechanic, for example, would have as strong of a shot at an acquittal in a DWI case as Kennedy herself.
Kennedy responds to critics’ concerns about the rumored preferential treatment in the her case. On the Today show, she confirms how she was fortunate to be able to reach an acquittal in her DUI case largely due to the opportunity (money) she had to hire good legal counsel.
It isn’t the fact that she is a Kennedy that swayed the jury to side with her defense argument, she suggests. It was the experience and talent of her DUI defense team that swayed the jury to find Kennedy not guilty. Also, of course, Kennedy insists that it is the fact that she is not guilty of DUI drugs that swayed the jury.
In the high-profile case, authorities claimed that Kennedy was driving while impaired by a prescription drug. Just as Kennedy avoided a conviction, other DUI suspects, including here in Minnesota, can hope for the same outcome in their criminal cases. As Kennedy confirms, that goal is most easily met with the help of trusted legal representation.
Source: Today, “Kerry Kennedy: I won case because ‘I was innocent’ and ‘had competent counsel’,” Eun Kyung Kim, March 3, 2014
