In American CIVIL courts, money is king, and often the side with the most money wins. In CRIMINAL court, it is a bit different. One side is always the government, the other is you. There are tons of protections in place.
Where it gets fucked up in the US is Federal criminal law. State criminal law is pretty straight forward, but your protections in Fed cases is greatly reduced. The vast majority of cases are State, not Fed.
Ask Ed Rosenthal, who was convicted of being this mass marijuana producer.....because he wasn't allowed to tell the jury that all the pot was grown only for medical dispensaries. After the case was over, the jury was PISSED OFF and said they would have acquitted. On appeal it was knocked down to "time served" but still. That is the Feds for you, they aren't interested in justice, just notches on their gun barrel.