And this raises a key point: other countries have their own legal systems. These actions are perfectly appropriate under Italian law. This latest decision is able to be appealed and will be. Why should Italy be criticized for not having double jeopardy provisions? Why apply American legal standards to a person being tried in an Italian court? Why the concern over this case? Is it because it is a young photogenic middle class white girl from Seattle? I don't see a lot of people complaining over the injustice (if any) to Rudy Guede who was convicted of the murder and is serving 16 years, or Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's boyfriend who is also going through the same appeals process. Huh.
1. Italy isn't being criticized for lack of double jeopardy provisions; they're being criticized for a rather lousy trial process and inability to let a poor case go
2. American legal standards aren't being applied to the Italian court; since she's now in the USA in order to get Amanda back Italy would have to apply for extradition, for which American legal standards very much apply. One of these is that, applicable in Italian courts or not, US Citizens on US soil are protected by double jeopardy standards when it comes to extradition.
3. Common opinion is that Rudy really DID do it.
4. Sad to say, Raffaele is Italian and thus not as interesting a legal problem as Amanda, nor is protecting him as much of protecting one of our own. I have seen sympathy expressed for him here.
Like many provisions in the Constitution, the double jeopardy clause was put in there because Kings were fond of holding as many trials as it took to get a guilty verdict.