American Government Notes

American Government Notes

∙        Guy was convicted of murder down in a Georgia county. The Georgia Supreme Court ordered a new trial for the guy. What happened was during the trial, the trial had started and the evidence was overwhelming. One juror quit the trial and was replaced with an alternate juror. The judge did this without asking or permission which is a “critical stage.” The jury panel is a critical stage. The only way a juror can be withdrawn by the judge is with the permission from the prosecution and others. What the judge did was a unilateral action and a violation of requirements.

∙        Judge Jack Camp has been disbarred permanently and voluntarily gave up his license. Judge Camp lost his license to practice law, going to serve 30 days in jail, hours of community service, pay a fine. His lawyers presented to court which is called a sentencing memorandum. It’s a written suggestion to the court which tells the judge what they think they should do despite the circumstances. It said that his problems really started when he fell of his bicycle and hit his head. He had to take anti-depressants for his head damage yadayadayada. People who have been put away by Judge Camp can ask for a new sentencing trial based on Camp’s drug use and illegal activities. Because of Jack Camp’s bad activities he adds a huge work load of reopening cases because of his own actions. He doesn’t lose his federal retirement however.

∙        There’s a lot of cry about that we need a smaller government, a smaller deficit, etc. Maybe we need smarter government. We have 82 programs of the federal level that monitor teaching at the elementary level. We have 100 separate federal programs that deal with surface transportation. We have 20 programs that deal with homeless ppl. We have 5 different federal agencies that work on how to use less gasoline. More than 50 percent of the job training programs have not had a review of their program or services provided in over 7 years. The department of agriculture (monitors catfish), the FDA oversees seafood (what point does a catfish become seafood?). The FDA oversees the safety of chicken, but the department of agriculture oversees the health of chicks (baby chickens).

∙        US Supreme court 8-1 decision last week. Nothing easy gets through the supreme court. There’s a church out in Nebraska called the West Borrow Baptist. IT’s made of mainly Phelps family. Head preacher Phelps is a lawyer with no preaching credentials. He’s done a number of unethical things over the years. He was disbarred at the state and federal level. He argued that they do no disbar his daughter. This church has a philosophy that we send U.S. troops to war and they die because its god revenge for us condoning same-sex marriages. They go to military funerals saying you’re going to hell and the only good soldier is a dead soldier. 43 states including Georgia has funeral picketing borders. The guy name Snyder his son was killed in combat as a Marine. They were about to burry him and picket the funeral. He sued the church and the case made it to the supreme court. The question was whether the 1st amendment affects his right to his son’s peaceful burial. The supreme court said the right to free speech trumps the Snyder’s right to a peaceful burial.