Whether you meant to or not, you bring up a great idea- if there are- and should be- "shield laws" that protect rape victims from being shamed for any sexual activity, there should probably be "race shield" laws that prevent council from either side in a criminal case from playing to racial or ethnic or religious stereotypes in presenting their cases.
Written by Ken Burch
Retired Alaska ferryboat steward, grandparent, sometime poet. Radical yet independent of dogma. Likes nice days, playing banjo and not as yet dying of Covid.