Litigating without the facts

"FACTS are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." So said John Adams in 1770 during his famous trial defense of British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. Thus far, I haven't commented on Trayvon Martin v. George Zimmerman, the controversial case being tried in the court of public opinion. Those stubborn facts, or rather the lack of them, are the reason why I've stood mute. A like-minded Andrew Sullivan put it this way: "At the Dish, we've been leery of wading into an important controversy because, well, the sides were taken before all the facts were in, one of two people in the incident is dead, and the details matter." Precisely. I'll wait.