JudgesBitch

I don't think the judiciary is corrupt. Judges are usually lawyers who have made their money and now want to give back. They have a high view of the profession and what their role is, and would frankly be insulted by anything unethical. I think the biggest problem is with the making of laws, where lawmakers carve out loopholes for their friends. Judges don't change rules, just interpret them.

I would start by reading the documents that the parties had filed. Then I would find out what the applicable law is. The parties are supposed to say what the law is in their briefs, but they will frame it in a way that favors their side, so I would try and distill it down to what it really is. Then I would write a summary of it for the judge and what my thoughts were. Whether the law applies will depend on the facts in the case, so if there are factual issues, then we have to work with the parties (conference, hearing whatever) to figure out the facts. Ultimately, the judge decides what the law means and whether the facts fit the law. I give recommendations, but the judge doesn't have to follow them.

Only once, but I vowed never to speak of that incident again.

I think mandatory minimums in general are a bad idea, because many cases are fact specific and really depend on the circumstances and what the person has done. They prevent the judge from being biased (consciously or subconsciously) and awarding tougher sentences on some than others. There are lots of statistical studies done that show higher sentences for racial minorities, and laws like mandatory minimums try to limit a judge's discretion to let someone off.

I think that alleging that the feds prosecute someone for income is, frankly, bullshit. Conducting a court case is expensive. If they were prosecuting for the money, no one would ever touch drug cases, and would go for political corruption cases, white collar crimes and securities violations.

I am against the war on drugs; it's wasteful and misguided.

I absolutely loved working there and I am very glad that I did. My judge was awesome and really helped me with everything. I think that my writing and research improved, and I am terrible at networking so it was great to have him to introduce me to people and kind of take me under his wing.