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June 17, 2009
A few notable comments from AG Holder in Senate testimony
Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, and this link provides the text of his statement. The statement is long and does not have too much grist for the sentencing mill, though this paragraph (under the heading "civil rights") seemed worth spotlighting:
Another important element of strengthening civil rights is to ensure fairness in the administration of the criminal laws. The Department firmly believes that our criminal and sentencing laws must be tough, predictable, fair, and free from unwarranted racial and ethnic disparities. Public trust and confidence are essential elements of an effective criminal justice system – our laws and their enforcement must not only be fair, but they must also be perceived as fair. The perception of unfairness undermines governmental authority in the criminal justice process. This Administration is committed to reviewing criminal justice issues to ensure that our law enforcement officers and prosecutors have the tools they need to combat crime and ensure public safety, while simultaneously working to root out any unwarranted and unintended disparities in the criminal justice process that may exist. The Department’s work in this respect has already started with a sentencing working group that is being led by the Deputy Attorney General. The right to counsel is also an essential element of an effective and fair criminal justice system. The Department is concerned about the quality and availability of defense counsel for indigents, especially in this difficult economic time, and has begun to study proposals for improvement.
June 17, 2009 at 07:04 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Federal thugs over-reaching.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/16/AR2009061601923_pf.html
Victims are not bullied, but are suing. Good role models. I hope total e-discovery takes place on the federal thugs, and the plaintiff publishes the content.
An organization of such patriots should form to take on the federal thugs in court and to teach all others what works, and what does not work in court. Such an organization should pre-emptively enjoin and seek damages. It should lobby strenuously to end all self-dealt invalid, unconstitutional immunities, those of prosecutors, those of judges, and even those of juries.
Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jun 17, 2009 11:42:50 PM
Curbing routine misuses of the RICO Act would be a big first step toward fairness.
But of course neither Congress nor the courts will impose that kind of fairness on the DOJ. And the department certainly won't do it on its own. RICO's its bread and butter.
Still, when the DOJ stops leveraging fake, Mafia-inspired charges with 20-year sentences to coerce confessions from lowly defenseless business people (folks who often at worst might deserve to be sued) let me know. I'd like to celebrate fairness with Mr. Holder.
Maybe someday...when overcrowded federal prisons become uncomfortably expensive. Maybe then.
Posted by: John K | Jun 18, 2009 9:40:13 AM
This Holder guy has some nerve. He tosses two judgments obtained against people yelling racist comments at voters and then tells us that he's sensitive to racial bias. What a thoroughly loathesome individual.
Posted by: federalist | Jun 18, 2009 12:55:20 PM
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