The modern American justice system is mostly dependent on who the judge is who hears the case. Appeals are expensive, and slow, and not often successful. The trial court judge can “shape” the case to make appeals difficult by favoring one side. The rule of law is very uncertain under these circumstances.
I've been saying that for about 3 decades. It's obvious once you've seen it over and over again, especially with these ridiculous cases.
We are governed by insane/corrupt men, not laws.