CommentsONE MAN’S OPINION-Judicial oppression has three legs: lack of transparency, lack of accountability, and judicial myths.
Lack of Transparency
As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said in 1913, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
Previously, he had written “about the wickedness of people shielding wrongdoers and passing them off (or at least allowing them to pass themselves off) as honest men. If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”
“Wickedness of people” applies to today’s judges. Why shouldn’t it? Justice Brandeis was discussing the behavior of men without carving out an exception for judges. Today’s judiciary has the “wickedness of men and women,” permeating all the courts. Adding women, Blacks, and Hispanics who are evil predators does not enhance justice. As Justice Brandies knew, “Justice, Justice thou shall pursue.” -- Deuteronomy 16:20.
Although we are a secular nation, justice is a cornerstone of our civilization. “No Justice, No Peace” flows from the Declaration of Independence. Each person has “unalienable rights, . . . life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The Declaration chose revolution when there was no justice. Black Lives Matter is echoing Thomas Jefferson while pursuing Martin Luther King’s non-violent ways. The lack of transparency has allowed the courts to become dens of iniquity, leaving people to vent their rage on the visible police.
In Revolutionary times, there was no TV, but the population was small so people had direct access to the courts. Today, however, matters are more complex, and people need to record what occurs. As the use of technology increases, access to the courts decreases. In Los Angeles Superior Court, one needs permission from a judge to record proceedings and then the recording cannot used except for the recorder’s private use. When one sees the prevalence of judges’ lying and dissing the law, it’s easy to understand why they forbid audio or video recordings. Once people could rely on independent court reporters – today such a quaint notion borders on foolhardy. The transcript will say whatever the judge wants if one is able to get one at all.
No member of the public gets to see the behind-the-scenes coordination of how judges fix cases and what they agree to do with disliked attorneys. As judges know, if the public doesn’t see it, then it didn’t happen. But for that cell phone video, judges would say, “George Floyd tripped and fell.”
Lack of Accountability
The lack of accountability has three parts.
(1) Judicial Immunity: There is no justification to grant judges immunity. People who can never be held accountable should never sit in judgment of others.
Members of the public should able to sue judges directly. When only a DA may sue in the name of the people, no judge will be sued. The judges are a wicked lot, as Justice Brandeis alluded, and they are thus vindictive and retaliatory. DA’s have too many cases to risk the ire of all the other predators sitting on the bench. Thus, suing judges will fall upon private citizens who no doubt will have to retain attorneys from far away cities.
Because some members of the public are as predatory as judges and will file bogus lawsuits, the county needs to pay the judge’s legal fees. After all the facts are known, there can be a determination whether the judge’s behavior warrants that he should bear some of the costs of his legal fees.
(2) The Commission on Judicial Performance: Abolish it. It does everything in secret and its sole purpose is to exonerate corrupt judges. It’s the KKK of the judicial system.
(3) The State Bar: The State Bar is akin to the Gestapo or mob hit men. The courts frame innocent attorneys and then the State Bar disbars them. The State Bar chills all other attorney complaints about the courts’ systemic corruption and predatory racism, The State Bar wants attorneys to know that facts and law play no role in its discipline. The State Bar relies on the 2018 Collins case which is similar to the 1992 Moncharsh case (injustice must be enforced) and the 2019 Mozer case (judges may commit fraud). Under Collins, an attorney is forbidden to raise the racism which resulted in his being framed. The only issue is how much money will it take to bankrupt the attorney.
The Collins case is like the train conductor’s not paying any attention to why so many Jews are being stuffed into his box cars to be shipped East. Under Collins, the State Bar closes its official record to the fact the attorney was framed. Framing innocent attorney like happened to Attorney Richard I. Fine deters other attorneys from complaining of judicial corruption. The result of complaining can be coercive confinement. Richard I. Fine spent 14 months in jail.
Judicial Myths
People say, “sober as a judge.” Ha! 10% of the population is alcoholic, but between 15% and 24% of judges and lawyers are alcoholics. Worse yet, judges have the power to intimidate people into silence. No attorney can have a judge kicked off case because he’s drunk. In contrast, just mention to the authorities that you saw an airline pilot drunk two hours before the flight and see how quickly he is yanked from the plane. Not only do we respond fast to the prospect of immediate mass death, but also the pilots can never retaliate. (If you knew complaining about a drunk pilot would result in your bankruptcy, would you complain or take another plane?)
Similar to pedophiles who become priests and scout leaders, narcissistic predators seek out the power of judgeships. Being a judge is a toxic narcissist’s wet dream. He can do just about anything he wants as long as he does not step on the toes of a more powerful judge. Talk to judicial victims from family courts where a streak of sadistic predation is strong.
The judges were the behind-the-scenes big wigs of the Ramparts Scandal, but even the U.S. Department of Justice dared not intrude into their realm, lest the Queen of Hearts shout “off with their heads.” In brief, the myth of judiciousness makes a travesty of justice.
‘No Justice No Peace’ Requires We ‘Defund the Courts’
LA County has less than 500 superior court judges but over 10,000 police officers. It makes more sense to replace all the judges with the 700 public defenders than to defund the police (although the current proposals merit consideration). Then, divide the District Attorney’s Office in half, making one half into the new Public Defenders Office. If you want to see police misconduct disappear almost overnight, get rid of the current predator judges, and replace them with lawyers who fight for the poor rather than those who terrorize the poor.
(Richard Lee Abrams is a Los Angeles attorney and a CityWatch contributor. He can be reached at: [email protected]. Abrams’ views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
