Catching up . . .
Sorry about being dormant for a week. I feel like a broken record, but things at work really have been super busy. I've got a few things I want to write a lot more about, but for now, these little tidbits:
*The election results from Tuesday make me so, so happy. More than anything, I think I am just relieved. Relieved to know that the American people can still speak with a powerful voice through the ballot box when they see the government behaving in ways that are shameful and irresponsible. Here's hoping the Dems take what they have been given by the voters and use it to get the country back on track.
*The election results in my old stomping grounds were a bit shocking to me, as the Democrats swept every single one of the 42 contested judgeships in the county, and took the DA's race as well. Dallas, Texas has apparently gone blue, which is quite an interesting turn of events. This means that some good sitting judges are out, including one who I practiced in front of every day for 18 months, and for whom I have an immeasurable amount of respect (and she's both a Republican and someone who came straight from the prosecutor's office to the bench, no less!). But, it also means that a lot of good new people who have a lot to bring to the bench will be serving, including two of my former colleagues. Yes, that's right. Two assistant public defenders who have spent years defending murderers, robbers, rapists, and child molesters were elected as felony judges! And how happy I am to see that the electorate saw through the ridiculous negative advertising that tried to paint them as unsuitable for the bench because they served the vital constitutional role of defending the indigent accused!
*Speaking of my old stomping grounds, The Wretched of the Earth has been on fire lately with some really thoughtful posts about the criminal justice system in Texas and summaries of recent Court of Criminal Appeals decisions. His blog has really come alive and if you're a fan of PD/criminal law blogs, and haven't added him to your list of daily reads yet, get on it!
*And, I just saw posted on CNN that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes died last night of leukemia. I didn't even know he was sick. I'm too shocked right now to say much, but I do feel that we have lost a truly great journalist.
*The election results from Tuesday make me so, so happy. More than anything, I think I am just relieved. Relieved to know that the American people can still speak with a powerful voice through the ballot box when they see the government behaving in ways that are shameful and irresponsible. Here's hoping the Dems take what they have been given by the voters and use it to get the country back on track.
*The election results in my old stomping grounds were a bit shocking to me, as the Democrats swept every single one of the 42 contested judgeships in the county, and took the DA's race as well. Dallas, Texas has apparently gone blue, which is quite an interesting turn of events. This means that some good sitting judges are out, including one who I practiced in front of every day for 18 months, and for whom I have an immeasurable amount of respect (and she's both a Republican and someone who came straight from the prosecutor's office to the bench, no less!). But, it also means that a lot of good new people who have a lot to bring to the bench will be serving, including two of my former colleagues. Yes, that's right. Two assistant public defenders who have spent years defending murderers, robbers, rapists, and child molesters were elected as felony judges! And how happy I am to see that the electorate saw through the ridiculous negative advertising that tried to paint them as unsuitable for the bench because they served the vital constitutional role of defending the indigent accused!
*Speaking of my old stomping grounds, The Wretched of the Earth has been on fire lately with some really thoughtful posts about the criminal justice system in Texas and summaries of recent Court of Criminal Appeals decisions. His blog has really come alive and if you're a fan of PD/criminal law blogs, and haven't added him to your list of daily reads yet, get on it!
*And, I just saw posted on CNN that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes died last night of leukemia. I didn't even know he was sick. I'm too shocked right now to say much, but I do feel that we have lost a truly great journalist.
posted by 123txpublicdefender123 at 10:33 AM
8 Comments:
Thanks for the kind words. I've re-focused my efforts on the blog, so I appreciate the kudos. The CCA critiques have been especially fun. Thanks for the link!
And let's not forget the former PDs who also won benches. Probably before your time, but some of us old dogs worked with them when the earth was still cooling...
I would certainly not want to forget them! There were a number of former PDs that were elected to the bench. I can think of at least four off the top of my head, in addition to the two current PDs. I forgot that the newly elected DA used to be a PD, too, until I was reminded of that by PL1's blog post. (PL1 has been shaming me with the quality of his posts. I'm going to try to do better.) What an exciting turn of events!
And now, you have me completely curious about who you are, "anonymous." Shoot me an e-mail sometime and fess up!
It looks like there's more Dallas people than just me... uh-oh. Oh well, I've already been outed. Of course I was hoping to go back into hiding with a whole new crop of judges.
Well, I don't know who you are so your secret's safe as far as I'm concerned.
"Two assistant public defenders who have spent years defending murderers, robbers, rapists, and child molesters were elected as felony judges!"
Wow. That would never happen here. Congrats!
Wretched really has been doing a great job, hasn't he? Glad you're back blogging, too ... I was beginning to wonder! Hope all's well.
Have you gone of the air permanently or is this just an extended hiatus?
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