tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post6115524331353862072..comments2024-03-09T19:08:04.758-06:00Comments on Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center: Lisa Falkenberg's Column TodayMurray Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662196272138109874noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-26412737344986767522009-08-27T13:53:15.370-05:002009-08-27T13:53:15.370-05:00Rage is a "she?" Now just who's &quo...Rage is a "she?" Now just who's "projecting?" BTW, that was a rhetorical question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-38264667371083476232009-08-27T13:52:40.085-05:002009-08-27T13:52:40.085-05:00Rage is a "she?" Now just who's &quo...Rage is a "she?" Now just who's "projecting?" BTW, that was a rhetorical question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-30296629607858710232009-08-27T12:39:44.581-05:002009-08-27T12:39:44.581-05:00Dear Rage:
No one can bitch slap Little Jimmy Leit...Dear Rage:<br />No one can bitch slap Little Jimmy Leitner with any more rightness than Patsy.just another pissant ADAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-66860132216026233412009-08-27T12:15:23.500-05:002009-08-27T12:15:23.500-05:00Rage correction:
1. Rage is in fact a projecting p...Rage correction:<br />1. Rage is in fact a projecting pissant who chronically laments over her inconsequential station in life. <br />2. Lykos is a great politician and therefore has achieved that goal "right". The fact that she is a horrible administrator, attorney and human being does not detract from her uncanny ability to fool the electorate. Rage is incorrect that the ADA posters on this blog will bawl me out for saying Lykos did something right. But we'll just have to see. <br />3. Rage never knew JBH.<br />4. The balance of Rage's dribble is as significant as she is.leopard ladynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-89404346725912752942009-08-27T11:09:46.505-05:002009-08-27T11:09:46.505-05:00But the one-sided outrage isn't exactly fair.
...<i>But the one-sided outrage isn't exactly fair.</i><br /><br />You must be new here, because that's how it goes. <br /><br />Any one of these will get you bawled out by pissant ADA's:<br /><br />1. Saying that some prosecutors hide or manufacture evidence, or look the other way when it's been proven time and time again that they do, or that they ignore good evidence while passing a case around instead of actually investigating the case to get the right guy;<br />2. Saying that a criminal defendant has rights;<br />3. Saying that any Democrat, or Lykos, did something right;<br />4. Saying that JBH was the same or similar to Rosenthal, even though it's fairly certain that nothing changed when JBH left and many of the exonerations we're seeing nowadays pre-dated Rosenthal, as did the constant references to Canadians and similar nonsense;<br />5. Any similar thing that intimates that the United States is governed by principles that many years ago were distilled into a written Constitution, and that it should apply equally and fairly to all citizens, and that the government should actually play by the rules...<br /><br />You get the idea.Rage Judicatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765188025349228048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-77660560793409255342009-08-27T06:30:30.131-05:002009-08-27T06:30:30.131-05:00I don't know if this is a "rookie" m...I don't know if this is a "rookie" mistake, or if this is an example of how he personally feels about women. <br /><br />Time will tell. In the meantime, I hope people keep a close watch on him when he handles crimes against women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-19751472456962570342009-08-27T00:00:25.832-05:002009-08-27T00:00:25.832-05:00Putting aside this credibility talk, it really doe...Putting aside this credibility talk, it really does seem to be an issue of HOW Judge Fine questioned the witness, not whether it was proper to do so. Judges do need some flexibility in these areas, though questioning the victim about guilt issues at punishment does seem blatantly biased. Harris County Judges do exactly what Judge Fine ultimately suggested should have been done takes place all the time to the benefit of prosecutors. The judge calls both attorneys up and questions about predicates or evidentiary shortfalls, and the prosecutor asks questions to clear up those concerns. Judge Fine probably shoudln't have engaged in more direct and invasive questioning, but a question to clear something up or asking the attorneys to address certain issues isn't beyond the pale. I'm no fan of Judge Fine, and your point that he needs to get on with his new job is well taken. But the one-sided outrage isn't exactly fair.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-42686259197520558852009-08-26T14:52:03.305-05:002009-08-26T14:52:03.305-05:00I'll work on my credibility.
I'm working ...<i>I'll work on my credibility.</i><br /><br />I'm working on mine, too.Rage Judicatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765188025349228048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-83177823470631933352009-08-26T12:34:42.086-05:002009-08-26T12:34:42.086-05:00Setting aside the accusatory way he actually asked...Setting aside the accusatory way he actually asked these questions (which Fine himself agrees was a very poor method), I have to disagree with you and Lisa on this one Murray. <br /><br />The Judge's fact-finding job in sentencing is much different than his or her job during the first phase, and they have a duty to get the facts about both the offender's history AND the instant offense right before they pronounce sentence. <br /><br />I'd also agree that the defense lawyer *should* have asked these questions during the sentencing (and well before that, too), but in the lawyer's failure, the Judge may have had no choice if he felt he didn't have all the relevant facts for sentencing. His ham-handed inquisitorial style was not judicious, but I think he was right to ask questions if he felt the inquiry aided his deliberations on sentencing. <br /><br />Also, this is one of those that we probably all need more information on to understand what happened. A few selected quotes from the transcript are never very helpful.<br /><br />My question is, if he felt the witness might have a credibility problem what happened at MDV and MJNOV time? It would seem that questions of credibility would have come up? Who was the defense lawyer? Did they fail to raise these obvious questions? Be nice to know.<br /><br />Just a thought.<br /><br />-Eric M-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-70623781110817362432009-08-26T11:54:57.322-05:002009-08-26T11:54:57.322-05:00Why don't you blog about judges who continue t...Why don't you blog about judges who continue to prosecute from the bench? There are plenty to choose from.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-83243672855048124862009-08-26T07:53:08.929-05:002009-08-26T07:53:08.929-05:00Fine may be a fine guy, but as I expressed in my c...Fine may be a fine guy, but as I expressed in my chronicle comment, he crossed the line. He needs to remember that he wasn't at the scene of this rape, didn't see the weapon, didn't hear the threats, and didn't experience the fear that woman did, and will never understand. Rape is the most demoralizing crime that can be committed by one who survives a crime and will always haunt them, causing crying episodes and nightmares for years. Unless he was deciding guilt, he had no right to victimize her again. And even then, better learn to do it with tact and compassion. That kind conduct of judges will discourage rape victims from coming forward for exactly the reason that it is so difficult for them to do so now. I realize that I wasn't in the courtroom, but as a prosecutor, I have had the same thing happen (by our now DA by the way). Good going Ed.jigmeisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01924600460740103836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-70410673428838242612009-08-26T07:20:35.529-05:002009-08-26T07:20:35.529-05:00Anon 11:09, I respectfully disagree about whether ...Anon 11:09, I respectfully disagree about whether or not Judge Fine was "brilliant" as a defense attorney. He was very intelligent in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of those he worked with -- Stanley Schneider, Troy McKinney, and Robb Fickman (who are all great legal minds as well. Well, maybe not Robb so much. Just kidding.)<br /><br />I do agree with your assessment that what was done in this case was disgraceful, however.<br />I'll work on my credibility.Murray Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00662196272138109874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-414122952745299752009-08-26T07:19:18.856-05:002009-08-26T07:19:18.856-05:00John Floyd has another take on this story on "...John Floyd has another take on this story on "Criminal Jusisdiction." The real issue seems to turn on how the questioning was done rather that whether it should have been done. There were some strange aspects to the woman's storey, Judge Fine, after questioning, concluded that it was reasonable, and he imposed an appropriate sentence. Unfortunately, Lisa's article was geared toward the emotional response she hoped to generate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-58671805491934255412009-08-25T23:09:23.577-05:002009-08-25T23:09:23.577-05:00Murray,
Sometimes you lose credibility by describi...Murray,<br />Sometimes you lose credibility by describing folks as being more talented than they actually are. Fine was never "brilliant" as a defense attorney and he is a disgrace to the judiciary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com