By Robert Field
“As Porngate hits state high court, Sprague brought in as mediator” is an article in Philly.com.
The idea is the Supeme Court Judge J. Michael Eakin would not be subject to any public hearing, but rather his fate as a judge would be decided in private by a “mediator”, ninety year old Richard Sprague, a respected and feared member of the bar and prior assistant district attorney in Philadelphia and long a prominent member of the Pennsylvania establishment.
According to the article:
“Geoffrey Hazard, a legal-ethics expert and emeritus law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the judicial tribunal seemed a little lost.
“ ‘They must be in deep doo-doo,’ he said of the panel. ‘They’re in complete confusion.’ ”
“Bruce Ledewitz, a law professor at Duquesne University and expert on the state Supreme Court, said he saw a role for mediators in labor disputes or divorces – but not in cases where judges stand accused of wrongdoing…
” ‘Imagine if a guy is on trial for murder and you bring in a mediator,’ Ledewitz said.”
“Bruce Antkowiak, a professor of law at St. Vincent’s College in Western Pennsylvania … said lawyers for both sides of the Eakin case had apparently recognized that a ‘full hearing would be damaging to all parties.’”
This is the same pattern we witness with the prosecution (persecution?) of Attorney General Kathleen Kane. By having a Senate committee invoke an obscure provision in the State Constitution, a clause not intended to remove elected officials and scorned when it was unsuccessfully invoked for such purpose over a century ago, the effort is to prevent Kane from ever having a public trial or impeachment hearing before being removed from office.
Pennsylvania has long been described as one of the most corrupt states in the country, fifth according to a recent Fortune article.
The corruption has metastasized to all facets of the government. Moreover, the lick-spittle statewide media has long been complicit.
Individuals are beginning to wake up to the rare opportunity at hand to insist that the State Assembly and Senate follow an impeachment process which requires a public hearing in which Kane can defend herself.
They also want a public hearing concerning the complicity not only of Eakin but others court members and other government officials in the pornography scandal.
At hand may be a once in decades opportunity for reform.
But, as can be seen above, public hearings about Eakin or Kane won’t occur if the powers that be of both parties have their way.
Why is Gov. Rendell backing other candidates for Atty. general When we already have one. Is this not agreeing with the Republicans that It’s alright to force Kane out so they can go about “Business As Usual” That is what is wrong with the system.
What a mess!
Seriously Eakin should both resign and let the state get back to business. This is taking up resources and money.
Kane is a thorn in the states backside. She should really just quit! She can’t win.
Eakin should save the state money and quit. They are both guilty of things that take too long to untwist.
EDITOR: When public convenience outweighs justice, we have lost our democracy. When people believe they have been unjustly accused, don’t they deserve a chance to make their case?
If the tribunal or whatever they call themselves, oh yea judges, can’t manage or police there own people, then we need to get rid of them. Incompetency is something we don’t need or should pay for with taxpayer money!
I agree. Time to clean house.
If you click on the link the article says that lawyers for both sides agreed to Sprague as a mediator. Apparently they realized that the “do do” would end up on everyone involved. This would include Kane and her sister her were also found to have objectionable e-mails on their computers. No matter what the content of the e-mails were I think it is improper the way judges and prosecutors freely communicate back and forth. A judge is supposed to be unbiased, but if he’s bouncing e-mails back and forth there is no way he can maintain his neutrality
They will grille Kane but not one hearing by the state on the PSU child abuse coverup.
The only people whose opinion should matter is the Show family. The rest of us not so much.
Curious? Do you all not know she is acting on her own behalf as a pro se litigant; exposing further the corrupt practices of our state judicial system, which by the way she is part of the elite and does not have to go this extra mile, further proving her diligence and intent on exposing the systems that keep our people in poverty, etc.?
I am aware..that is how it has to be…good ole boy network is thick and generational…no one wants to change the status quo… not when you are the one to benefit….Bravo…Kudos..well played….Kathleen Kane – Pennsylvania Has Your Back
Wow. Trading some porn and non pc jokes is what’s keeping us poor? Who knew?
The process is what the problem, or the lack of consistent and transparent process in our courts that is the glaring issue.
Let the sun shine on all of the hearings. We have a right to know and Eaten and Kane have a right to due process. When you attempt to hide behind closed doors the process reeks of the old boy network. I have low hopes for any changes though.