Um...actual journalists who reported on it? There have been a plethora of pieces written on the case.

I’m glad you feel as though you can determine how much a “threat” somebody is based upon age. I’m sure that comes as a shock to the victims Jimmy Saville attacked well into his elderly years.

...Except I never mentioned jail, did I? “Isolation” is not default to “jail.”

That’s just not true. There has been multiple neutral assessments of his case and most of them have found that YES, the judge absolutely engaged in prohibited conversations that likely involved his case and very potentially led to collusion between the judiciary and prosecution to try to trap him into a longer…

I think you just made your own point. In addition, I personally feel like asking that kind of question to any individual person is kind of, uh, heavy. Judges understand that they may have to impose a death sentence as part of their duties, and they accept that role. But I could certainly never do it, even if I…

But that was my point - there is a distinction possibility that the original verdict could be vacated if they get him back. And if it is, Samantha Gailey could very well be compelled to testify once again - something she seems very reluctant to do - which would then force the prosecution into a decision about whether…

The problem with what you cite is that you are addressing something fully different from what is actually at issue in this article. NOBODY here is addressing the “holistic” needs of victims to get support - we agree on that. We are discussing the idea of allowing victims to influence legal determinations and court…

But you are leaving out one of the courts’ primary functions - public safety must also be a concern. Polanski is a sexual predator of children - and the research is quite clear that the vast majority of offenders in that category do not stop with a single victim. I would personally be shocked if Gailey is the only…

Input on what? I presume you are referring to the victim-impact statements that are made in court. Well, the primary difference is that those are submitted after conviction, at sentencing. They help the judge understand the extent of the defendant’s actions and consequences and they can factor that into sentencing…

Well, it’s a bit more complex than that. They may need her to make the case against him. As it stands now, Polanski was convicted of a crime, but his team has always maintained that conviction is tainted by judicial misconduct (which is at least partly true - the trial judge had prohibited ex parte communications with…

Two things:

She seems to be doing it for religious reasons. Long-term fasting is used by multiple faiths as a spiritual exercise for intercession. She is already well-aware that it will almost certainly pass. I get the impression that this is of a more personal motivation.

I understand that we are coming at this from two different places - I’m a lawyer, so I probably see this very differently then you. My issue with judges who like to bring their own judgments into things (regardless of whether I agree with them or not) is that it can go both ways. To me, the fact that Lisa Bird will…

Now that we have Trump, I have to remind myself that Obama was the President who set the precedent for extrajudicial killings of American citizens who are deemed “threats to the security of the nation.” And now Trump inherited that precedent.

You’re saying an awful lot for somebody who isn’t answering my most pertinent question - how is this different than any other example of a government official using their “conscious” to simply do what they want? I mentioned Roy Moore, but I notice you decline to answer that comparison. Moore argued that he needed to…

All due, respect, you haven’t answered my points.

Freelee’s story was better because it involved vasectomies. Everything is better with vasectomies.

But how does that get to role of a judge? If the law itself is unjust, that means one would be far more impactful as an attorney working to show just HOW its unjust - not as judge. You also forget that judicial activism goes both ways - if a judge can do that “right” thing (as you see it), what is to prevent another…

But “feasible” means “possible.” Gibbs didn’t make it “possible” for Switzer to run - Switzer was an accomplished runner regardless. You are suggesting that if Gibbs had not run first, Switzer would not have run - and there’s no evidence for that assertion. In addition, Gibbs ran while hiding her identity as woman (as…

Eh...I’m familiar with the Rose Bird tenure, and personally, I see her as “decent person, lousy judge.” A judge is not supposed to use their personal feelings in cases, which she clearly did. A judge is supposed to be a neutral arbitrator of the law. When she was thrown out, another judge on the court, Stanley Mosk…