A COUPLE QUESTIONS

TOP'O THE MORNING TO YA!

1) A reader wants to know why are our superbly trained and highly efficient REGJB security people are making people remove their belts?
Q: What’s that?
A: A paper clip.
Q: Code Red! Code Red! Sir. Please stay right where you are. Do not move. You, next in line with the rocket launcher , please move through the machine. You with the paper clip- please put your hands behind your back and go with the police officer.

Why are these people making everyone remove their belts at the security checkpoint? Are they looking for imported protected crocodile skins? Or do they just enjoy making hundreds of people wait in line while they exercise the tiny little bit of authority they have been given?


On to a more legal subject, a reader asks:

Rump: You never addressed the question I posed last week, and none of the contributors seemed to touch it, so here we go again.



Cannon 2, of the Rules of Judicial Conduct states that “A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all of the Judge's Activities,” providing that “A judge shall . . act . . in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary”; saying that “A judge shall not allow family, social, political or other relationships to influence the judge's judicial conduct or judgment.”



The test for appearance of impropriety according to the commentaries “is whether the conduct would create in reasonable minds, with knowledge of all the relevant circumstances that a reasonable inquiry would disclose, a perception that the judge's ability to carry out judicial responsibilities with integrity, impartiality, and competence is impaired.”



Would you afford us all the benefit of your opinion, and seek the opinion of our readers and contributors to the following: What is the propriety of a judge who is married or in a “meaningful” or “significant” relationship with a police officer sitting in the criminal division? Would the opinion change if the judge handles cases involving officers who are assigned the mates or significant others unit or section?

Rumpole says: Good question. We have an opinion, but for once we will keep it to ourselves. I know some robed readers have weighed in on this before, and we expect to hear from them again.



But let us start the ball rolling with this : If you are of the belief that a Judge married to a police officer should not sit in the criminal division, then should a Judge with children not hear a child molestation or child abuse case? Should a female Judge not hear a sexual assault case? Should an African-American judge not hear a deprivation of civil rights case? Just wondering how far you intend to go with this.

See you in court.