It’s hard to know who the biggest loser in the Hunter Biden trial might be. Hunter Biden, of course, who was convicted on three felony counts on June 11 by a jury of his Delaware peers, lost the legal case. 

Donald Trump lost something bigger; his complaints about two-tiered justice were stopped cold. 

During the Biden trial, only snippets of the courtroom drama were reported: who was testifying and to what they were testifying. As with most news, it was hard to get the full context of courtroom action. 

What is clear to voters is the split screen of approaches by the former president and Hunter Biden and his family. 

A jury of their peers convicted both men. Both trials had competent judges who followed best practices for courtroom procedure. 

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee was unanimously convicted by a New York jury of 34 counts of fraud and falsifying documents. During the trial he spent time attacking the judge and witnesses and trying to uncover names and information about jurors. His allies were not family but GOP politicians, traveling to New York, conducting press conferences, trashing the judicial system. 

Contrast that to President Biden’s son (who is not running for president) who stood trial on charges of lying on federal forms while buying a firearm and owning a firearm while using drugs. From day one, his dad expressed both his love for Hunter and his faith in the judicial system. Neither Hunter Biden nor the president whined or criticized the jurors or the judge. Someone in Hunter Biden’s family walked into the courtroom with him, supporting him with their presence every day. They hoped for a different outcome but didn’t get it.

The prosecutor emphasized the trial was not about addiction but about illegal choices while addicted. Millions of parents and families can relate to a family whose son, now a father himself, has struggled with addiction for years. Many families have experienced the damage caused by addiction and understand it. Prisons are full of those who committed crimes because of their addictions. 

In my own family, my younger brother fought addiction from the time he was a teenager. I bailed him out of jail, had to go searching for him when he didn’t show up for family dinners. My mom denied his addiction. It frustrated my dad. Both loved him regardless. 

All of those emotions have no doubt been on display for the Biden family this week. But what the trial really offered us was a contrast of two powerful men and their families and contrasts in accountability. 

In the Biden family, we see a loving, supportive family showing us how love can be so important. Hunter Biden was remorseful. He refused to blame “a rigged system,” “unfairness” or “a corrupt judge.” Hunter Biden’s father expressed his love for his son throughout as well as his belief in a fair judicial system.

Trump’s family rarely showed up to support him. Trump and his allies were camera hogs, constantly trashing the third branch of government, complaining about a two-tiered system of justice. There were threats to prosecutors, the judge and his family and a lack of remorse that continues today. 

But it’s clear the verdict discredited Republican claims of a two-tiered justice system. 

Through the Biden family reaction, we were reminded what respect for the law looks like even when you lose.

Finally, it reinforced our faith in the justice system. In spite of recent attacks and accusations and a four-year campaign to destroy the institution, justice prevailed.

We are in the end, a nation of laws, not men.