A Broken Justice System-The Fox guarding the Henhouse

The American justice system was designed so that all who attend would receive a fair and balanced judgment.  All would get fair and balanced treatment but like all other things man tends to control and screw up, so goes our justice system.  It does not begin and end with the cops on the beat nor does it begin and end with riches being the primary resource necessary.  It simply begins and ends with those in authority failing to remember that justice is blind, that all are innocent until proven guilty and that all deserves the same amount of respect as those in charge demand.  It simply begins and ends with those at the top.  If the boss is setting an example of intolerance, then those under him/her are also going to develop that way of thinking.  To lead by example is the primary ingredient necessary for a decent society and the true mark of a leader.  Not having it means that fixing this system was died long before it was even born.

In an article titled “‘Birther’ judge accused of making crude and racist comments is still on the bench. For now” written by Kristine Guerra reports that “when Gary Kreep was campaigning for a judicial post in San Diego County, he was involved in political activities challenging President Obama’s citizenship and called for an investigation into Obama’s long-form birth certificate, documents say.  After he became a judge, Kreep was known for insulting defendants, commenting on the physical appearance of female attorneys, and making unnecessary references to people’s ethnicity during court hearings, documents say.  In the months leading up to the 2012 presidential election, Kreep signed a fundraising letter along with a petition asking Congress to hold a hearing on Obama’s eligibility for office, to investigate the president’s long-form birth certificate, and to determine whether Obama and others conspired to cover up evidence that he wasn’t born in the United States, documents say.  The 17-page document detailing the charges against Kreep also lists several instances in which he made crude remarks in his courtroom, where he presided over traffic and misdemeanor cases as well as civil lawsuits.  In 2013, for instance, Kreep asked a woman accused of prostitution if there was anything he could do to get her “out of the life.”  During another hearing that same year, according to the documents, Kreep said: “We got all sorts of very attractive, young [public defenders] around here, so.” In another instance, when speaking to a defendant, he referred to an attorney as “this lovely young lady standing next to you.”

While it is understood that the courtrooms are those under the command and control of the seating judge, it should also be understood that the seating judge does not have total command and control of those who come before them.  These are people who may or may not have a valid reason for being there and did not appear to be dismissed, belittled and demeaned. They showed up for justice and that used to be considering all of the testimony, weighting the total of all evidence, then rendering a judgment that is palatable to both parties.  Too often now, judges look to throw the book or make a statement rather than to meek out justice for all.  When you are able to use, a courtroom for your own agenda, it ceases being a court of law and begins to be a court of whoever seats the bench.  We need to remember that nothing is mine anymore it is ours and that include all courtrooms.