Innocent are lumped with truly violent offenders. No distinction is made between violations that endanger the abused and mere technical violations, such as attempting to speak to one s children on the phone. All of Stewart s alleged violations are of the latter kind. There is also no distinction made between intentional, accidental, and contrived violations. Stewart did not intend to violate the 209A order, he merely acted as any responsible parent would.
Heterosexual men are never victims.
In September 1997, Stewart was featured on a Channel 7 News report on battered husbands. For 12 years, Stewart claims he was repeatedly assaulted and terrorized by his ex-wife. Though she once assaulted him with a knife, she is classified as the victim. Juries are not given complete instructions by judges. From 1692, when jury acquittals eventually ended the Salem witch trials, to a 1972 federal appeals court decision, juries have been empowered to vote their conscience when they believe that rote adherence to the law will result in a miscarriage of justice.