Dean Johnson Comments on Bonds Trial for Christian Science Monitor
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented on the perjury trial of retired baseball superstar Barry Bonds for an article in the Christian Science Monitor. Bonds, Major League Baseball's career home run record holder, is charged with lying to a federal grand jury in 2003 about alleged steroid use.
Dean Johnson noted that the government is moving forward with its case against Bonds, an African American often considered to be among the least popular major stars in sports, rather than that of Roger Clemens, a white superstar who has been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
"Indeed, when he was passing Babe Ruth in the record book, Bonds was the subject of consistent hate mail, including that of the racist variety," Dean Johnson said. "The government may believe that it is best to go to trial first with the less-popular defendant, believing that it is the one that a jury is more likely to convict. And, although it is very complicated, Barry Bonds appears to be less popular - at least in part - than Roger Clemens because he is African American."
Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.