Ted Meehan reported in on Monday at 1:30pm Monday to say:
“The only action in the Mark Houck trial has been that members of the jury are being brought individually into the Courtroom and are consulting with Judge Pappert (their conversations are not audible). Two or three have been led back to the Judge’s quarters for more private conversations.
It would be speculation to try to say what is going on. The status is that the Jury was given the case at around 2pm on Friday January 27. About 3 hours later, they declared themselves “deadlocked”. Since the evidence, as presented, seemed to be very favorable to an acquittal, my own guess is that the one or two “holdouts” must favor conviction. If this is the case, perhaps these conferences with Judge Pappert are to assure that the issue being decided is whether Mark Houck attempted to block the entrance to Planned Parenthood, or to intimidate any potential patient, counselor, or care giver. It is not to be a referendum on one’s feelings about abortion – pro or con.
If the Jury is unable to get past the current deadlock, the possible steps to be taken would be:
1) sequester the jury so that they don’t go home until they arrive at a verdict;
2) declare a mistrial;
3) have the Judge issue a verdict based upon the evidence and the law.”
But then miracle of miracles, Ted writes to me that “after a number of jurors being called to conference with Judge Pappert, the Jury finally arrived at a verdict of Not Guilty. One alternate Juror replaced one of the original Jurors, and very shortly thereafter the Jury announced its Not Guilty verdict.”
This is a blessed day. I’m sorry I wasn’t around to report in yesterday, all. I was driving around the country looking at colleges for my son. I couldn’t write but I was super pleased to receive the report.
Why is this a big deal? This is the Biden Administration’s attempt to bully and intimidate pro-lifers across the country. But Mark Houck and his family, along with his excellent attorneys, stood up to this and fought back. Thank God for them.
I pray that this is the end of the administration going after Mark Houck and his family. I fear that it is not. But Mark Houck did the thing you’re supposed to do when confronted by a bully. Punch him in the nose. And that’s what happened yesterday. Pro-lifers certainly scored a victory.
But as Ted Meehan wrote recently, the punishment is the process. And their hope is that the process itself will scare many pro-lifers away from standing up for their beliefs, not just in front of abortion clinics but working for crisis pregnancy centers or standing up for your faith and conscience at work or out in the world.
But let’s worry about that a bit later. Let’s accept the “W.” Let’s celebrate it. Let’s be thankful that the system still kinda’ sorta’ works. Let’s thank God.
And I’d like to take this moment to thank Ted Meehan for keeping me informed. His pro-life work is invaluable.
Today’s a good day. Celebrate.
