this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
1164 points (99.2% liked)
Political Memes
11711 readers
2562 users here now
Welcome to politcal memes!
These are our rules:
1) Be civil
Jokes are okay, but don’t intentionally harass or disturb any member of our community. Sexism, racism and bigotry are not allowed. Good faith argumentation only. No posts discouraging people to vote or shaming people for voting.
2) No misinformation
Don’t post any intentional misinformation. When asked by mods, provide sources for any claims you make.
3) Posts should be memes
Random pictures do not qualify as memes. Relevance to politics is required.
4) No bots, spam or self-promotion
Follow instance rules, ask for your bot to be allowed on this community.
5) No AI generated content.
Content posted must not be created by AI with the intent to mimic the style of existing images
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
He was found civily liable for sexual assault by a jury. It means a jury said he did it, but it's not actually a conviction because civil suits are between private parties whereas criminal cases are between the defendant and society. They also have very different methods of punishment, as they pursue different goals.
In criminal court, the prosecutors seek punitive damages. It usually takes the form of a fine or a prison sentence. In civil court, the plaintiff (who can also be the government) seeks relief in the form of compensation for damages or an order to do something, undo something, or stop doing something. You can't
This makes sense when you think about it. Let's say you get pulled over for speeding. You didn't actually cause any damage, you can't undo having sped, and since you were pulled over you've already stopped speeding. So the state's options are pretty much limited to punishment for having committed the crime. And once you've paid the ticket, the matter is resolved.
But what if instead of speeding, you build a building that extends beyond your property line and into a public street? Criminal statues allow for a fine, but that's about it. Cities can even do daily fines, but rich people can just pay the fine and effectively take control of public land.
For that, you need to go through the Civil process, because in the civil system the goal isn't justice or punishment, but relief. Instead of getting fines, the government can get an order from a judge requiring the building to be removed, and even to allow the government to bulldoze the building and bill the landowner for the expense of the demo and remediation.
This is why, unless you're looking at a felony, you'd rather have the government take you to criminal court than civil.