If you ever go to Washington DC and visit the Supreme Court, you’ll find those words inscribed on the front of the building. It’s one of the found principles of this country. Which is not to say that we have always met that standard, humans are after all, human. At least the court system is supposed to strive for that.

Except for New York City, which somehow doesn’t surprise me.

Assistant DA pleads guilty in EMT assault, avoids jail

NEW YORK (WABC) — A Brooklyn prosecutor pleaded guilty Wednesday to reckless assault in an attack on an EMT that incited calls of preferential treatment.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Jaccarino was accused of punching and choking EMT Teresa Soler in the back of her ambulance last fall.

Jaccarino was sentenced to 10 days community service and must complete an alcohol treatment program, but he will avoid jail time.

Critics say Michael Jaccarino got a “get out of jail free” card Wednesday.

Imagine if Teresa Soler had attacked Jaccarino? Do you think she’d get off with 10 days of community service?

“He recklessly caused this assault by ingesting all of that alcohol. It put him in a position where he wouldn’t understand the risk of hurting somebody because you put yourself in a position where you are out of it,” said Gary Farrell, Jaccarino’s attorney.

I can see a defense attorney, maybe even Gary Farrell using the “He was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing” defense about someone that Jaccarino was prosecuting and Jaccarino arguing that this was all the more reason to throw the book at the defendant.

How is anyone supposed to have faith in the court system when one of their employees has the charges against him reduced by the District Attorney of another county and the judge goes along with it? The original charge was a felony and my guess is that a conviction would have meant that he’d lose his job and likely his license to practice law. Funny, if I or one of my co workers were convicted of a felony we’d lose our paramedic tickets and be convicted felons with all the penalties that brings.

Next time some prosecutor talks about seeking justice for a victim, I’ll know that it’s a laugh line, not a promise.