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Notes -
It's an interesting situation. On the one hand, I can see that being absolutely correct. On the other, my reading of Admiral Byng's court-martial is that he was absolutely hung out to dry for political reasons. Which makes for an interesting social/moral dilemma: if you were involved in the process back then, and knew (or had an idea of) the beneficial effects it would have on the future navy, would you choose to have an innocent man executed?
I often wonder this about the justice system in general: if it means placating the mob, is it sometimes worth committing an act of injustice to a single individual?
The Ones Who Walk Away From Rittenhouse
More seriously, I think the general framing of this question—not mob placation necessarily, but “good” consequences as a potential reason to bend or break the rules—gets at the heart of act-utilitarianism vs. rule-utilitarianism, as well as deontology and other ethical schools. As for my opinion on the matter, fiat iustitia ruat cælum
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