The U.S. Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested in four major cities last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities — a record far below the norm in federal assault prosecutions.
All of the dozen cases that made it to trial, mostly in Los Angeles, ended in acquittal, mistrial or dismissal. Experts say that’s surprising for a department known for its ability to win at trial. The last three felony assault cases, in LA and Portland, will go to trial this fall.
1% of federal defendants are acquitted, and 90% plea. According to a search page result, not giving me comparable state rates easily, but wikipedia on conviction rates says in part:
‘n the United States federal court system, the conviction rate rose from approximately 75 percent to approximately 85% between 1972 and 1992.[29] For 2012, the US Department of Justice reported a 93% conviction rate.[30] In 2000, the conviction rate was also high in U.S. state courts. Coughlan, writing in 2000, stated, “In recent years, the conviction rate has averaged approximately 84% in Texas, 82% in California, 72% in New York, 67% in North Carolina, and 59% in Florida.”[31]’