In message 4061DEA8.1000403@telus.net, Ray Saintonge saintonge-EynCeXvFgoheoWH0uzbU5w@public.gmane.org writes
The CBC recently did a piece on the first person to be killed in a case of on ice hockey violence in 1905. His attacker was charged with murder, and subsequently was acquitted on a reduced charge of manslaughter. What really struck me was that the on-ice event took place in March of that year and by the end of April the trial was over. If the court system got on with its work instead of dragging things out for years, maybe such gag orders wouldn't matter anyway. Instead the legal system has become a high priced welfare system for high income lawyers who benefit by keeping cases in the system as long as possible.
I think maybe Americans are just used to legal cases taking forever. Take a look at http://en.wikikpedia.org/wiki/John_Alan_West for details of the last capital murder case in Britain - West was murdered in a burglary on April 7, 1964, the two burglars were arrested two days later, the trial was in June, and they were hanged on August 13th.