Did political correctness and a judge’s philosophy about defendant “rights” lead to the shooting deaths of four people in Georgia last week?

A 6-foot-1, 200-pound male suspect was being taken into an Atlanta courtroom by a 5-foot, 51-year-old sheriff’s deputy. The inmate wore no handcuffs or leg manacles and, in an instant, it was simple for him to overpower the deputy, gain access to her firearm and go on a rampage. Brian Nichols broke loose to kill a judge and court reporter. He later killed another deputy and a federal agent and could have claimed a fifth victim, a single mother, had she not been able to talk him down.

Nichols was involved in a rape case; two homemade knives earlier had been found in his shoes while in court. He was a severe risk in every sense yet the “security” in the matter was appalling.

Nichols was not handcuffed because legal rulings have concluded that such restraints are demeaning and appear to presume guilt. In other words, his “rights” had to be protected regardless of what crimes he might have been charged with. But the results were devastating. After killing the judge and court reporter, Nichols shot a deputy elsewhere in the courthouse while fleeing and later killed the federal agent. The woman, whom he held hostage in her apartment, might have been killed had she not been resourceful and fortunate. Someone like Nichols is not usually so “charitable.”

Given Nichols’ background and the circumstances of his case, why in the world would he not be under tight restraint in a court setting? What were the people in charge of this Atlanta operation thinking? If it was a matter of assuring a prisoner’s rights, they certainly scored high, but from the standpoint of good sense and wise administration, they could get nothing but a failure-plus grade.

Four people are dead and an unfortunate woman is traumatized because of such foolishness and laxity. How long before there are group meetings and financial collections to try to shield Nichols from a death sentence? How about the “rights” of the four people he killed?

Will we never learn?