ACLU Reverses Stance on Double Jeopardy for George Zimmerman

Last dealt with the issue in the wake of the Rodney King verdict

The American Civil Liberties Union is experiencing some uncomfortable déjà vu.

George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of black teenager Trayvon Martin has triggered the specter of an awkward and often raucous debate the group thought it had put behind itself two decades ago.

After the 1992 acquittal of Los Angeles police officers in the videotaped beating of African-American Rodney King, ACLU leaders split sharply over the possibility of a federal trial for the officers. The group eventually suspended its policy opposing double jeopardy — only to reverse itself the following year.