EV Opinion-Raw Judicial Power and Arrogance

Raw Judicial Power And Arrogance
Wednesday, May 25, 2005, 05:49 PM
EV Opinion
Raw Judicial Power And Arrogance
Baumgartner Matter Is An Assault On Common Sense

Bryan DuBois
Editor, Erie Voices

I learned one thing today: The raw power of judicial arrogance cannot be matched by an inactive electorate.

No matter what the injustice imposed by a judge, no matter how ridiculous the conditions, I’m faced with the same dumbfounded questions by those who read the stories on the pages of Erie Voices: “Can a judge actually do that?”

The answer is: Who’s going to stop them?

Until the citizens of this state realize that their angry presence at the courthouse can influence a judge from using his power to destroy – these judges will continue to exercise their power unrestrained in a way that is unrecognizable to anyone with common sense.

Today at the Baumgartner hearing I saw the raw power of the state being inflicted upon a woman who has already served 235 days in jail on charges that are most obviously unconstitutional. “She was convicted of a crime!” some say as a means to explain away the Fremont News Messenger’s Headline: “BAUMGARTNER CAPTURED!” as if she was a convicted murderer. Yep, she was convicted of a crime for standing up in front of a public body in order to encourage public officials not to give a sweetheart deal to another public official. Doesn’t that prove that our system is more broken than Baumgartner ever claimed? Do people understand that her “crime” was questioning and criticizing the government, and that the prosecution was driven by the attitudes of the types of men who give each other sweetheart deals at the taxpayer’s expense?

How many Ohioans must be wounded by the Ohio Visiting Judge system before the electorate realizes that we have men among us acting as judges who are not elected by the people they supposedly “serve?”

Since when does a judge have the ability to suspend the 1st amendment rights of an attorney acting on behalf of her clients? Who will end this pissing match? Will the State recognize their place and back down? Or will the crushing hand of government tyranny continue to destroy this woman in order that the illusion of an all powerful government be maintained?

When will the people of Ottawa County insist that Administrative Judge Frederick Hany take control of his court and insist that the “Baumgartner matter” come to an end? What will more prison time prove? That we must fear speaking out when we see injustice? Ottawa Municipal is Hany’s court.

Just as a beautiful woman can talk a police officer out of writing a ticket – concerned citizens can hold Judge Hany accountable when the power of his court is being wielded by a visiting judge who isn’t running his court by common sense, but rather a mixture of judicial arrogance and the phony courage made possible by the fact that he couldn’t give a damn less about how we feel because we didn’t elect him.

But then again…

Forcing the Ottawa County taxpayers to house a woman who speaks on our behalf seems to be a fitting punishment for those of us too lazy to complain about how the Ottawa County government is treating her.