Prosecutor In Trayvon Martin Case, Angela Corey, Too Awful Even For Florida

Bye Now. Bye-Bye!

Angela Corey, the Florida state attorney who was notorious for her failed prosecution of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, has been kicked to the curb by primary voters. She lost to Melissa Nelson, a corporate lawyer and former prosecutor, proving that even in Florida, it's possible to be too horrible to stay in office. If you enjoy trivia, you might note that Corey's loss in the 4th Judicial State Attorney's race makes her the "first incumbent state attorney in modern history to lose a contested election," according to the Florida Times Union (how "modern" is defined in Florida is another matter altogether).

Corey made national headlines in the botched prosecution of Zimmerman, which some critics believe failed because Corey overcharged him with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter -- along with her presenting a lackluster prosecution. Corey also generated outrage by aggressively prosecuting Marissa Alexander, who was sentenced to 20 years for having fired a warning shot into a wall when her abusive husband threatened her. Most recently, she was the subject of a profile in The Nation which asked if she was the "Cruelest Prosecutor in America" and made a pretty convincing case that she was, seeing as how she pushed to prosecute many more juvenile defendants as adults than in other jurisdictions, often seeking the harshest penalties possible. Among her more notable achievements in that area was a very questionable prosecution of 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez in the death of his 2-year-old brother.

It would appear that despite Corey's long experience as a super-tough law-n-order prosecutor, voters in northeast Florida were tired of being mocked:

Until Nelson entered the race Corey was largely seen as a lock to win a third term despite numerous controversies and low public approval ratings. But Nelson hit the ground running, raising over $1 million and getting support from many in the legal and business community [...]

The first poll that came out after Nelson entered the race showed her with a 10-point lead. That expanded to a massive 32-point lead in a poll that was released last week.

Nelson campaigned on a platform of bringing integrity to the office and said Corey had lost the trust of the community with her actions.

Looks like that was a pretty persuasive argument! As a candidate for prosecutor in Florida, of course, Nelson is no squishy ACLU type -- she was endorsed in the race by the National Rifle Association, which of course felt Corey was a Second Amendment traitor for having prosecuted George Zimmerman at all; both gun fans and feminists were angry that Corey had prosecuted Alexander for what seemed a clear case of self defense.

Nelson had previously worked for 12 years as a prosecutor for the 4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's office; she resigned in 2009 to work in private practice, and had been one of the defense attorneys for Christan Fernandez. She's expected to win the general election easily, since the only other candidate is a write-in dude who hasn't actually campaigned. No word yet on Corey's plans once she leaves office; we're guessing a job as a Fox News legal analyst, or perhaps an appointment to the Justice Department in the Trump administration.

[ Jacksonville.com / The Nation ]