Judicial Accountability. Why shouldn't judges,
like everyone else in a democracy, be responsible for their incompetence
and deliberate misdeeds? Why should judges be allowed to run their
courtrooms as their own private fiefdoms, free to abuse litigants and
lawyers who come before them?
We are building a national organization focused
on the problem of bad judges -- judges who are incompetent, abusive, and
dishonest. By dishonesty, we mean judges who knowingly disregard clear
and controlling law and who write decisions which fabricate or
deliberately omit critical facts.
These judges destroy people's lives, families,
and businesses and, for ulterior reasons, torpedo important cases
affecting the public.
The financial cost of appealing a judge's bad
decision puts appeal out of reach for the average citizen. Yet those who
make the financial sacrifice and do appeal often meet with the same
realities on the appellate court level as in the lower court. Even where
appellate courts reverse a lower court's blatantly erroneous decision,
there is no personal cost to the judge for his judicial malpractice --
but only to the litigants, who have been wronged, and to the system.
Incompetent, abusive, and corrupt judges create
havoc at the trial level and overwhelm the system with otherwise
needless appeals. This puts the courts in crisis and is extremely costly
to taxpayers.
Obviously, improving the way we choose judges is
crucial. Whether by election or appointment, there must be safeguards to
ensure that only persons of the highest competence, integrity, and
judicial temperament become our judges.
Yet, the public interest in a quality judiciary
has been thwarted by politicians, who view our third branch of
government as a pool for patronage. Judicial qualifications are often
secondary to the political interests served by the judicial nomination
being made.
Because the judicial selection and disciplinary
processes take place behind closed doors, political interests have been
able to co-opt them. This has enabled unqualified judicial candidates to
gain office and, thereafter, to stay in office, despite demonstrated
on-the-job unfitness.
Shamefully, public officials, government agencies
responsible for judicial oversight, and established organizations of the
bar have failed in their duty to protect against the corrosion of our
courts. They have not only looked the other way, but have actively
participated in a "cover-up". The same is true of the media, which is
largely ill-informed, insensitive, and self-interested on these issues.
It is, therefore, We, the People, who must take
action to protect ourselves, our judicial system, and our democratic
values.
