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These cases have fueled debate over how courts set bail and prioritize public risk. The drunk driving death, by a trained law enforcer, resulted in lower bail than a meme referencing a political figure, sparking criticism from free speech and legal experts. Critics argue that bail decisions should reflect real public danger and not chill constitutionally protected online speech.
The stunning disparity of $1 million bail for a life lost, $2 million for a meme calls into question how "justice" is weighed in today's courts. Both stories now circulate widely as flashpoints in America's fast-shifting debates over law, speech, and equal treatment under the law.