I saw a mug when I worked at the courthouse...

[Manifestor_of_Light]

It had a burglar with mask on, running with a bag of stolen goodies.
In the middle of crosshairs.
Caption: CUT COURT COSTS


If you worked at the courthouse, you might realize just how many thousands of dollars and work of court personnel, and cops, it takes for a major felony trial. Capital murder trials are the worst. They suck up many thousands of dollars for an extra judge and extra court staff (3 felony prosecutors, 1 court administrator, 2 clerks, 1 bailiff, 1 process server, 1 court reporter, one judge.) During a capital murder trial, you have to double the number of personnel and pay them.

I used to be a court reporter.

[madinmaryland]

1. So anyone who commits a crime should be killed?

Sounds like your courthouse has been invaded by Freepers.

[proteus_lives]

2. Clemmons got what he had coming.

Nothing wrong with that mug. Black humor in stressful occupations keeps us going.

[me b zola]

3. Someone who feels like that should not be working in the courts

Clearly no respect for the Bill of Rights.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

4. I have a LAW DEGREE (Doctor of Jurisprudence)& respect for the bill of rights.

In the case of someone with a long and violent rap sheet, like the guy in Seattle, I don't see any problem with a cop shooting him if he was indeed the killer of four cops, with multiple prior violent felony convictions. If he was caught and tried and sentenced there was no way he would ever get out of prison, and I assume he would be eligible for the death penalty for four counts of capital murder.

He's almost as bad as a serial killer, except he didn't kill people one at a time over a long period.

There is no problem with making sure the defendant's rights are upheld in a fair trial. It's just that multiple prior felonies and overwhelming circumstantial evidence make a trial a very short formality with an obvious outcome. I've seen plenty of excellent lawyers representing indigent defendants and making very little money, while pursuing a vigorous defense. That is not to say that all defense lawyers are competent.

You are confusing preserving the rights of the defendant with the severity of his offenses.

I think many of the people who think it's horrible that a cop shot the defendant without stopping him, arresting him, and so forth, just have not worked in the real world of the justice system like I have. The job of any person who works in court is quite stressful. I know. I had to leave.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. This is not to say that all cops are jerks.

Some are jerks, most of them are OK.

That's my opinion.

[applegrove]

6. When my grandfather died we inherited a little sculpture that looked exactly like him. Exactly! But

it also said "Sue the bastards" which is the furthest thing from who my grandfather was. We kept it for a couple of decades in our den at home because it looked so much like him. I wonder how many of his law clients saw that sculpture on his desk and wondered what type of lawyer he was.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. I can tell you the answer to that question.

I also have a little SUE THE BASTARDS statue. It was my father's. He was an attorney in private practice, general civil cases and a bit of criminal.

What it means is that he might have been a good plaintiff's lawyer. Plaintiffs are usually injured people who sue a large corporation for damages. When corporations hurt people recklessly and knowingly the only way to get them to change is to sue them. The only thing they understand is money damages.

The American Bar Association Ethics state that an attorney is to represent his client "zealously within the bounds of the law".

Oftentimes you need an attorney who provides a vigorous prosecution or a vigorous defense. Lawyers who are laidback when the opposing counsel has declared war, invariably lose. There is a time to be nice and a time to be nasty, and most lawyers don't know the difference.

A SUE THE BASTARDS statue is not a bad reflection on your grandfather. Sometimes the only thing that will get somebody's attention is a civil suit, and that is oftentimes a good thing.

If he practiced in a field where the lawyers are nice to each other, as in boring contract disputes, business litigation, or probate, then he probably never had to act like a bastard.

[applegrove]

8. He was a village lawyer , a real estate lawyer, wills and a corporate lawyer.

He once had the chance to buy half of the unbuilt property in his village (the wealthy subburb of rockcliffe in Ottawa) but turned down the option of getting that property from someone's estate because he felt it was a conflict of interest since he was also the village lawyer.

I can see how if you loose your bowels to the pump in the bottom of a pool you might need a litigator but sometimes it is taken to extremes by Americans. People don't take responsibility for their part in the tragedy... I once worked in a hotel in Halifax. One American women just stormed into my shop and said "I just tripped on the stairs to this hotel and I haven't decided whether or not to sue you" (there was nothing wrong with the steps, there was even a railing at one part). I immediately told the maitre D.

I think what bugged me about the statue was that it implied a certain type of aggression which my family just does not value (being terribly polite and passive people). But for sure if you have reason to sue a corporation you want someone who is aggressive on your side.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I've worked in the US court system.

Many people think that if they sue someone for injuries, they can go to trial and get money. It doesn't work that way. Juries are pretty good at spotting people who are not really hurt.

And on the other hand, I've seen a man strapped to a gurney with a sheet wrapped around him, who sued the doctor and hospital who treated him (failure to stabilize a broken neck, used chiropractic students instead of certified X-ray techs), and he got nothing. That just makes him a burden on the taxpayers.

Divorces often turn into all-out war. It's amazing how much money one can pour into lawyers and expert witnesses to pursue revenge against the spouse.