In this season of religious renewal of spirit, soul and body, comes this editorial from the NY Times (the title links to the editorial) that the Death Penalty in Florida costs $51 million dollars a year more than if defendants were sentenced to life in prison without parole. California, which can afford it the least of any state, spends an extra $114 million a year to pursue the death penalty. California has executed 13 people since 1976 for an astounding quarter of billion dollars per execution. Wow!
Speaking of death, the Dolphins lost their starting QB for the rest of the year and are currently 0-3 with the improved Buffalo Bills coming to town Sunday.
Speaking of death, it felt like a slow death Tuesday for the thousands of people sweating in lines that stretched around the block at the REGJB because we again had a Monday off and two days worth of calendars crammed into Tuesday. We don't know what the Chief Judges are doing to address this problem, but lets approach it from another angle- WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING!!
It still takes an hour to get into the building if you arrive at 8:45 and from what we saw today, many Judges are still not interested in addressing this problem. A/Cs were being issued like free martinis at a judge's conference.
We don't know how to fix the problem, but we do know what it would take: make every Judge on a Tuesday with Monday off wait in the regular line to clear security and enter the building. After an hour or so sweating with the hoi polloi, we are certain that our otherwise mild manner robe wearers would raise hell and fix the problem.
Speaking of high costs, how many people hours are wasted by having thousands of people wait an hour to get into the court house?
And finally, the US and California are seeking extradition of 76 year old film director Roman Polanski who in 1977 fled the US on the eve of his sentencing for having sex with a 13 year old girl. Lest you have forgotten the facts of the case, Polanski pled guilty to the charge and was awaiting sentencing. The transcript of his plea is at the Smoking Gun site here.
What do you think is an appropriate resolution in Polanski's case?
Speaking of high costs, how much is it going to cost California to bring Polanski back and house him in protective security while this mess gets sorted out?
See You In Court.
24 comments:
Please do not give the legislature the idea that they can save $$$ by figuring out a faster way to execute.
Why is California trying to extradite Troy Polomalu?
He never hurt anyone outside of the football field. Geeze.
The best solution for the Roman Polanski case is to quash the AC, adjudication and CTS. After all, earlier this year, a judge found substantial misconduct in the plea bargain but denied relief because Polanski wasn't present at the hearing.
In any event, it was very stupid of Polanski to plea to the court on an open plea unless there was something already agreed in chambers and Judge Rittenband was just putting on a show for the media as it was his practice.
The question is: why has the U.S. government been so after Polanski's arrest since 2005? Does it have something to do with the UBS AG bank scandals (laundering money for Castro and Hussein and hiding money for Americans to evade taxes)? In the 1980's or 90's, Polanski passed through the international transit lounge of a U.S. airport while changing planes in transit to another country but was not arrested because he had not technically entered the U.S. since he hadn't gone through immigration. So, why the waste of taxpayer money now, specially when the victim never wanted jail and just wants this thing put to rest?
Another way to close the case is for fellow showbiz colleague Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon him in these lean-budget times.
Rumpole
I read today about a case against former Pres. GW Bush's officials. Ashcroft and a Justice Dept attorney were being sued. It seems this attorney wrote memos that basicly said the FOURTH Admendment does not apply here in the States to the Armed Forces entering and searching your home and seizing you if it is part of the Domestic War on Terror. Is it me or did I miss that exception in Law School? Dont these guys know OUR History? Have they read the Constitution or studied what led up to our Revolution, did they skip the largest part of the Declaration where it list acts that King George's agents did that used us to seperate from Great Britian. Oh maybe they must gone to that Conservative Fundamental Religous Law School where the Bill of Rights is the excuse of backsliders and sinners.
DS
Hows about an update on ex ASA Harvey Hyman?
WHY is anything scheduled on a day off in the first place? Why are two calendars shoved onto one day when the first calendar should never have been set in the first place? Don't y'all have calendars with the Monday holidays printed right on them in advance? It's not like Veteran's Day or Memorial Day is a surprise when it occurs...
One need look no further than Polanski's own misdeeds in understanding his present dilemma. His appearance in Rush Hour 3 (fact) served as an outright taunt to Los Angeles prosecutors as well as the moviegoing public.
Hey, bozo at Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:52:00 PM
Are you f---ing kidding me! He had sex win a 13 year old girl. He admitted to this! Pled guilty! The only reason the 13 year old child (now an adult) wants case over is because he paid her recently millions of dollars for her to say this!
I do not care who you are if you have sex with a 13 year old child and admit it, you should go to jail for life! Period!
Sick bastard!
I would prosecute him based solely on what he did to poor Walter Matthau in Pirates.
Then again, his recent version of Oliver Twist is the finest screen adaptation of the Dickens novel I've seen.
Polanski should be brought back and sentenced. The fact that he fled should be considered by the judge. If any one of our client's did that, they would be extradited.
The fact that the victim doesn't want it pursued is irrelevant. She has nothing more to do with it. He pled guilty. Why anyone is asking her opinion is beyond me.
Scorsese, et. al. who signed a petition to leave him alone should be ashamed of themselves. If someone drugged and raped their 13 year old daughter, I wonder whether they would care if he was a "brilliant filmaker" or a guy hiding in the bushes?????
I read the testimony of the 13 year old. It is ugly. This guy is a pervert. It is a reflection of the moral decay of our society that so many Hollywood elites fail to recognize this depravity for what it is. They should ask themselves: how would they react if their 13 year old daughter was drugged and then raped? Imagine the reaction if Polanski were a bible thumping Christian.
OCTOBER 1, tomorrow, start of a new reporting period. WHo's coming out of the woodwork to file in the JUDGE races??????
If this was a poor, no-name defendant who ran away prior to sentencing no one would be arguing that he should be left alone. He molested a thirteen-year-old child. He fled to avoid sentencing. Period. Just because he had enough money to avoid capture for thirty-two years does not give him a free pass. Other people who molest children are forced to live under a bridge, while this guy is getting praised as a creative genius. I must have missed that day in law school when we were taught that the laws do not apply to you if you are a rich, Hollywood director. Justice should be the same for everyone.
My client (chomp) may be a knucklehead (chomp) but he's no pedaphile (chomp)
They are prosecuting those Chris Hanson Dateline idiots and handing out long sentences. They didnt do anything other than dirty talk over the internet. No physical touching.
This then 43 year old idiot started with topless "modeling" photos, gave the 13 year old girl champagne, drugs and then had vaginal and anal sex with her. Then pled guilty and then fled.
If it was Joe Shithead from Polk County, they'd bury him under the courthouse. To think the Hollywood elite are coming out and supporting a sexual predator is pretty bad.
1052 this case is strange. the usual people who molest children are bible thumpers
Last March, Sally Harpold bought a box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband, then a few days later bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her grown daughter. That put her over the limit for how much pseudoephedrine-laced cold meds you can buy in a week in her small Indiana town, so she was arrested along with 16 other potential meth makers earlier this month.
Rumpole. If you're going to hurl feces, aim them the right way.
The court-houses are owned and operated by the county. The best the chief judge can do,(note the use of the singular), is ask politely whether Carlos Alvarez and the Commissioners would kindly allocate more funds to security.
Speaking of high costs have you seen the cost for brisket? First or second cut? OyVey!
Rumpole
Giving a 13 year old girl, a girl that he knew wasnt old enough, ludes and having sex with her is very very bad. The guy should have done the probation in the first place, but after running even I would give him time. He should be brought back and pay.
DS
Polanski deserves what's coming to him. Think about it... a grown man having sex with a 13 year old! A 13year old be given drugs and then taken advantage of!
No one is above the law and no free pass on sex with a 13 year old.
Good reason why there usually is no statute of limitation for this type of charge.
I agree 100% with Mr. Sisselman and Mr. Saul. Roman Polanski should not be rewarded because he willfully fled prosecution. And the offense he committed was quite grievous and deserving of punishment, even according to DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. He was offered a reasonably lenient plea deal and, in his own way, backed out of it.
As for the victim not wanting to prosecute, it is simply Mr. Green talking (Polanski gave her an "undisclosed sum," presumably in the seven figures). It was only a few months ago that many of us were decrying Donte Stallworth's buying his way out of prison. What makes Roman Polanski any different?
The Legislature has already tried to save money by faster executions, it's called Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851. A death sentenced inmate only has a year to file his post convi8ction motion, not 2 like every other convict has. ONE year to re-investigate a case that probably took 3 to 4 to try. How's that for a denial of Equal Protection?
If he were a Miamian, Roman Polanksy would live under the Tuttle.
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