Difference between revisions of "Faux Process And Rubber-Stamped Orders"

Now, obviously the Muscogee County judge described above erred by signing an order that the judge did not draft nor review. But why did this happen? A summary list of potential causes sheds some light on the phenomenon. First, it is important to keep in mind that State Court judges are government employees that are paid by an annual salary. In Cobb County, State Court judges are paid ___________________ annually and they keep their office position unless they retire or lose in an election. Theoretically, they can be removed from office through a disqualification process initiated by the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC). However, the JQC will generally not scrutinize a judge's signed order so long as a hearing was conducted and the order on its face does not show clear impropriety. That being said, the "rubber-stamped" order flies under the radar and rubber-stamping judges remains free of JQC prosecution. Second, judges are subject many outside influences that is not reflected on a court's record. For example, judges are allowed to accept campaign donations from local attorneys and, under the current ethics code applicable in Georgia, the judges are not required to disclose their donations to the parties in court. Another not so commonly advertised influence over a judge's decision

 

That case in Muscogee County was not the first time I witnessed the entering of a rubber-stamped order, nor was it the last. In fact, my first recollection of such injustice occurred at the hands of Judge Carl W. Bowers, and my most recent experience was at the hands of Judge G. Grant Brantley. While I sincerely want to believe that these were honest mistakes, rare flukes caused by the coincidental alignment of the planets, mere cursory research into the personal backgrounds and experience of these two judges shows otherwise.

 

Our broken judiciary is not the result of a bunch of evil judges sitting around a conference table plotting against the well-being of society and the Cobb County community. No, our maimed “justice” system is the result of flawed philosophies and the misalignment of incentives. In other words, our judicial officers have more to gain personally by not doing their job than by actually doing their job. Imagine losing your house or, worse, your child simply because a judge was too lazy to read what he or she was signing. Judges are acting like cogs in a wheel, simple machines "rubber-stamping" their signatures on paper without scrutinizing the contents because, frankly, they just don’t have time for this right We the People call '''due process'''.