Government justice fails - Updated


What do you do when you expect government to protect you and a judge says no?
I'd like to know what the judge says now.

An attorney for the judge who lifted the order blames it on a clerical error. But Chief Administrative Judge Thurman Rhodes tells The Washington Post he believes Judge Richard Palumbo clearly dismissed the protective order during a Sept. 19 hearing.

Audio recordings of that hearing show that the victim, Yvette Cade, told Palumbo that her husband, Roger Hargrave, was violating the protective order, and begged him to keep it in place. Palumbo responded by telling her the case was dismissed and to get a lawyer and go to divorce court. Three weeks later, police say Hargrave went to Cade's workplace, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. She remains hospitalized with severe burns.

Most people would blame Judge Palumbo for this tragedy. And they are right as far as it goes. I'd go a little deeper though. I say that "the system" created false expectations of protection and then just failed to keep it's promises.

Hat tip to Juliaki.

Update - The Washington Post ran a better article.

This bit was especially telling.

Palumbo, a former county prosecutor, served as a state delegate in Prince George's for two decades before being appointed to the bench in 2001.

In November that year, two weeks after he was sworn in as a judge, he was cited by county police for failing to remain at the scene of an accident after the 1998 Mercedes-Benz he was driving hit the back of a shuttle bus near the Upper Marlboro courthouse. Six months later, Palumbo was acquitted of leaving the scene of an accident and fined $100 for speeding.

So a judge gets to break the law and stay on the bench?

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - October 23, 2005 at 05:08 PM  Tag


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