I guess everyone thinks his side is not guilty, or not THAT guilty.In my reading, the OP's thread did seem to contain some phrases that implied that what happened to his friend was not entirely his fault (describing it as a "misfortune") and was too much of a punishment for what he did (saying he got the book thrown at him.) The harsh replies condemning his friend's actions seemed to be a response to this, not a result of being "judgemental."
But of course, implications and tone are both very difficult to understand in a written format, so I could be wrong in my interpretation...
Did the guy deserve to get the book thrown at him? I don't know. I don't know how impaired he actually was. That's not for me to judge.
Maybe the defense lawyer sucked. Maybe the judge had a hard-on for DUI. Some of the extent of the consequences are possibly misfortune. All of the fact that there were any consequences are 100% a result of his own actions. And it sounds like he's aware of the lesson life has handed him. Hopefully he's learned that lesson. I don't feel like it's anyone's business to judge without having more knowledge of him and his circumstances.