Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
The federal jury in the trial of former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, apparently had some difficulty coming to a decision, acquitting him on one count and remaining deadlocked on the other five. Readers talked about what that result means and whether Edwards' behavior should be considered criminal.
Edwards gets acquittal on one count, mistrial on others
Most readers seemed to have less than favorable views of Edwards' behavior, but they didn't agree on whether justice is being served.
sarcastr0: "Being a slimy dirtbag doesn't equal being a criminal. That was known going in, and this just proved it. Thanks for wasting taxpayer money on a show trial that had no chance to get anywhere."
crzycatldy: "Face it folks, there is never justice for we the taxpayers when the defendant is a John Edwards. They will always get away with it and then apologize to the camera as if that makes it OK. Until we decide to take back this country...but I don't see that happening anytime soon as we've become spineless sheep."
One person speculated about what jurors were debating.
Sphy: "It seems pretty clear that there is at least one juror who understands that Edwards did not break the the letter of the law and at least one juror who wants to hang him for being a bad husband."
From a broader perspective, many expressed disappointment in the behavior of our leadership. Have we simply found another version of the nobles of yore?
Yvonne Travers: "America fought a Revolution to rid itself of 'Kings, Princes and nobility' who spat and looked down on the common man and could get away with crimes because of their lofty positions in society. Now they've been replaced by something just as sinister and corrupt: Politicians."
Some said the legal system should be left to work on its own.
Edishere: "Another crook goes free!"
Chooch0253: "This is why we have a legal system. To keep opinions out of the picture. He was found not guilty, regardless of your 'opinion.' Deal with it."
Another said people do cheat, so why focus so much on this man? Others said there are deeper issues.
Pembrolelib: "Cheating on one's wife is not a crime. If it were, the jails would be overflowing!"
tet1953: "It wasn't just illicit sex. If it were, we wouldn't be here. There was a whole lot of dirty money involved. That is why there was a trial. Justice was not served today."
judahMaccabee: "Apparently cheating on campaign finance is not a crime either. At least not one that you can be convicted for."
Edwards will face consequences regardless, argued this reader.
Yerboguy: "He might be a bit of a sleaze, but he certainly does not deserve much jail time even if convicted. He is not a menace to society, will never do the same again, his life is pretty much in shambles and he'll be lucky to ever make a good living again I imagine. That's enough of a penalty as far as I can see considering the charges. Find him not guilty and have done with it."
EsmeEisener: "Whether or not you receive punishment must depend on whether or not you broke the law. It is not about whether he is a menace to society (in your or anyone's opinion) or if he is 'suffering' .. If an offender stands trial and it is decided he or she broke the law, and we as a society have decided it is punishable, then the offender stands to take his or her punishment. That's how it works for everyone – also for a rich white guy, frankly."
Various permutations of the word "slime" appeared in several comments.
Ga2LVWoman: "Slimeball! I hope his political career is over. I don't know if he is guilty or not of the charges. but he is guilty of what he did to his wife! She was a beautiful strong woman!
Lolaz007: "There should be an investigation into the DOJ's decision to prosecute this case and waste taxpayer dollars to pursue what turned out to be a soap opera-style freak show!"
Some said taxpayers are the ones paying for Edwards' deeds.
hambdiscus: "From the start it was clear that this trial was a colossal waste of time and taxpayer's money. The Justice Department should take a 50% wage cut for countenancing such a farce. Edwards is a slimy, bald-face liar and genuine POS of the first order, not fit for any elective office in the US. However, the money was never used for any campaign expense (a fact that the prosecutor knew) so how could the jury find him guilty?"
Earth-shattering? Try again, this commenter said.
Craig Jones: "The Breaking News of the day should be that a private company successfully recovered a space capsule! Not this trash! We could have saved taxpayers a lot of money about a lot about nothing. What's new? Another politician gets off from a scandalous affair? Zzzz"
What's your take on the Edwards trial? Share your opinion in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.
Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.
