Fact check: Bill Cosby's trial was a kangaroo court the completely disregarded due process protections.

1. Summary of the results

The characterization of Cosby's trial as a "kangaroo court" is not supported by the available evidence. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby's conviction not due to a fundamentally unfair trial, but because of a specific legal issue involving a prior prosecutor's promise not to prosecute ^{[1] [2]}. The trial itself followed standard legal procedures, including multiple stages, two separate trials, appeals, and careful judicial review ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are worth noting:

• The trial included controversial judicial decisions such as:
• Allowing testimony from five additional accusers
• Including expert testimony about "rape myths"
• Using the "doctrine of chances" ^{[4] [5]}
• The legal process provided Cosby with multiple protections, including:
• Careful jury selection
• Opportunities for legal challenges
• Multiple appeals ^[6]
• The overturning of the conviction was based on the specific legal principle that when prosecutors make promises, accused persons have the right to rely on them ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains several misleading elements:

• It mischaracterizes the nature of the trial's outcome: The conviction wasn't overturned because the trial was unfair, but because of a specific prior agreement with prosecutors ^[7]
• There are competing narratives about the trial's fairness:
• Some sources suggest the #MeToo movement may have influenced the judicial process ^[5]
• Others emphasize that the trial followed proper legal procedures and protected constitutional rights ^[3]
• The term "kangaroo court" implies a sham proceeding, but evidence shows the case involved careful legal consideration and multiple layers of review ^{[3] [6]}

Different groups benefit from different interpretations of these events:

• Social justice advocates benefit from emphasizing the trial's validity
• Legal conservatives benefit from highlighting procedural concerns
• Criminal defense attorneys benefit from emphasizing the importance of prosecutorial promises and due process protections