For many Americans anguished by the Saturday night acquittal of George Zimmerman, the remedy appears obvious: The U.S. Department of Justice should mount its own criminal case, and prosecute Zimmerman for violating civil rights or hate crimes statutes in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
The argument has appeal. Federal laws allow prosecutors to make broader arguments, citing broader federal priorities, than does the typical state murder or manslaughter law, more narrowly tailored to adjudicating who caused whose death, and why. Justice at times has won convictions on these federal grounds after courts have acquitted defendants accused of violating local or state laws.
That said, it's often difficult to use federal prosecution to right an alleged wrong done in a state court. More important, the federal statutes are a poor fit for the circumstances of the Zimmerman case and how it played out in Florida. Given those circumstances, it's all but inconceivable that prosecutors could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martin's race provoked Zimmerman's activity. Nor should they try.
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