It is not surprising that this test case involves the due process rights of priests. They have been under attack for years. Unfairly maligned in the courts, and the court of public opinion (often manipulated by a hostile media), priests everywhere are being subjected to criticism that exceeds the bounds of rationality.

“This is a wake-up call for the county and Archdiocese,” the defamed priest's attorney said. “You had an independent, neutral body reviewing all of the evidence.”