JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

SEX IN CHAMBERS


A judge in California has been censured for having sex in his chambers with a pair of former law students.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Scott Steiner was disciplined by the California Commission on Judicial Performance for behavior including promiscuous activity in the courthouse, the OC Register reports.
...
Engaging in sexual intercourse in the courthouse is the height of irresponsible and improper behavior by a judge,” the judicial commission said,according to CBS Los Angeles.
“It reflects an utter disrespect for the dignity and decorum of the court and is seriously at odds with a judge’s duty to avoid conduct that tarnishes the esteem of the judicial office in the public’s eye," the commission said.

Rumpole wonders if sex in chambers is the "height of irresponsible and improper behavior...." what are wrongful convictions where defendants spend decades in prison? 
Like when Prosecutor Joe Britt, a North Carolina -bible quoting prosecutor who thirty years ago put two mentally challenged  half brothers Henry Lee McCollum and Leon Brown behind bars and initially got death sentences for a crime they clearly didn't commit. But under intense police questioning, they confessed. First one confessed, who having done so then quickly asked if he could now go home. Then the other young man- having been told his half brother confessed, confessed as well. 
But DNA exonerated McCollum and Brown  and they were released today. Prompting Ol'Joe Britt to say "I still think they're guilty." Of course DNA didn't just exonerate them, it also implicated a man who had lived a mile away from the young girl killed in the McCollum/Brown prosecution,  and was being investigated for a similar murder that he ultimately was convicted of. 
The NY Times articles are  here and here.   
Yeah, sex in chambers is outrageous. A real affront to the justice system. 

See You In Court, but probably not chambers. 


20 comments:

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


ENTRAPMENT. Ya think.....

An Osceola County judge threw out all charges Tuesday in an April Fool's Day sting that led to the arrests of residents who were either homeless or poor.

Circuit Judge Jon B. Morgan dismissed felony theft charges against seven defendants after ruling the Osceola County Sheriff's Office entrapped them by leaving $350 cash hanging out of a purse at a bus stop on West U.S. Highway 192 on April 1.

"OCSO officers … had no prior knowledge of or suspicion regarding any of the defendants subsequently arrested, but set up the 'bait' to see who might take it," Morgan wrote in his ruling. "There is no evidence that any of the defendants had a prior arrest or conviction for theft or that they had a propensity to commit a crime."

The most significant criminal history among the seven who were arrested was a single count of fraudulent use of a credit card. None had been arrested or convicted with stealing, according to the ruling.

Read the entire story here:

http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81244394/

Anonymous said...

Who remembers the 2 Dade Judges who got caught having sex in the parking garage?

Rumpole said...

No names please. Let sleeping dogs lie, or whatever other analogy you want. All parties in that menage a dux have moved on.

Anonymous said...

I like when the occasional DNA exonerates someone and the old man asshat DA or ASA still claims they are guilty. Like these douche bags can never admit they were wrong.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Herald has spawned another congenitally sneaky and insecure employee: Marc Caput-oh. Love that he gives himself credit repeatedly, reporting on his reporting. (Ask the dude about his brief stint at the New York Times. Think it lasted a day before the NYT booted him.) Oh, and his "monkey fishing" in the Keys...

"All three investigations — the two involving Jeffrey Garcia and the other related to Rivera — stemmed from investigative reporting by the Herald and El Nuevo Herald. "

"The Herald revealed that Arrojo had ties to Jeffrey .."

"A Herald investigation later revealed that ..."

"...records were subpoenaed by the FBI after the Herald linked them to Garcia. "

"Kaplan told the Herald last year that he told ..."

All in one article! Fabulous! ass clown...


Anonymous said...

Great post Rump.

BTDT

Anonymous said...

Any list of the judges rotating out of criminal court at the 11th?

the trialmaster said...

Judges having sex in chambers reminds me of a former judge who was a beauty queen and a former prosecuter was caught having sex in her chambers by her current husand(she had many) with a lawyer. or so the rumor went some decades ago.

Patrick Kane said...

Thank you for this post.

Anonymous said...

What else is new?

Anonymous said...

The real question is did he have sex with the pair of law school students at the same time. He'd get a handshake from me after that.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole this is your best post yet!!! There is so much wrong with America right now.

Anonymous said...

While I appreciate the moral thrust of the argument, attacking one conviction as bogus because the putative real culprit was "convicted of" a similar murder is curious.

Why believe THAT conviction is trustworthy?

Anonymous said...

Miller, Thomas, Sanchez-Llorens, Ruiz-Cohen, Gordo, and Rebull---all moving on from Criminal Court.

Anonymous said...

Dude, if you're gonna bang law students, then do it at a hotel, your house or your car like a normal pervert. Doing it in the courthouse is just poor judgment. You're a elected official, not the Wolf of Wall Street.

Reminds me of the idiot judge in Monroe that plastered his schlong on the internet looking for casual hookups. There is nothing wrong with it, but don't act surprised when someone thinks its inappropriate.

Anonymous said...

I prefer an immoral thrust @2:20

Anonymous said...

What about the ASAs who have sex with the cops they work with?

Ron Jeremy wannabes said...

anyone remember the Judge who got caught using a penis pump during trial? THAT "is the height of irresponsible and improper behavior by a judge.”

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-18-judge-sentenced_x.htm

Anonymous said...

Joe Freeman Britt is still alive?

Anonymous said...

Thanks 3:20:00 PM. Is that it? - I always thought there were more in the rotation.