Judges, judicial system are under attack

Joe Girard III concludes collegiate career one game short of Final Four

U.S. District Court Judge Judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison for cheating investors out of billions of dollars in a cryptocurrency fraud last week.

There was no outcry he was discriminating against the rich.

There was no accusation he was partisan.

Or that he was a "radical left Democrat" because he was appointed by President Bill Clinton nearly 30 years ago.

That has been the standard for our legal system, that is the normal respect for judges.

Until recently.

Courtrooms are still places steeped in tradition and respect. They are serious places where rules are enforced and justice is sought.

Cell phones are silenced, food and drink prohibited and quiet is not only demanded, but enforced.

While attending the murder trial of Kevin Monahan earlier this year, everyone rose when Judge Adam Michelini entered the Washington County courtroom.

When the jury entered, the spectators rose again as a sign of respect for the rule of law and the trust in juries for dispensing justice.

Over two weeks, we never heard Judge Michelini was a "crooked judge" or a "political hack" or what political party he belonged to when he was elected nearly 10 years ago.

If Judge Kaplan's name seems familiar after the Bankman-Fried sentencing, it should. Over his 30 years on the bench, he presided over trials against Al Qaeda, multiple prosecutions of the Gambino crime family and a major environmental case where he sided with an oil company.

None of those trials drew the level of attention as the defamation trial against Donald Trump to decide damages. Each day during the trial, Trump used his enormous social media megaphone to lash out at the 79-year-old judge.

Reuters news service reported recently that threats against judges, federal prosecutors and judicial staff have more than tripled since Trump launched his first presidential campaign in June 2015. U.S. Marshalls, who provide security for judges and federal courts, documented over 27,000 threatening communications from the fall of 2015 through the fall of 2022 as Trump routinely used words such as "totally biased," "partisan" and "hostile." Trump has said cases against him are "rigged" and called prosecutors "corrupt."

And while many judges in New York are chosen by voters through a partisan electoral process, they are prohibited from engaging in most political activities. Reporters at newspapers are routinely frustrated by the inability to cover judicial candidates because they are not allowed to say where they stand on issues or respond to hypotheticals.

But the uptick in threats indicates many believe judges have been corrupted.

District Judge Royce Lamberth told Reuters the level of harassment he received while handling cases of for those accused of in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was unprecedented.

"Traitors get ropes," one woman wrote to Lamberth.

Another called Lamberth's home phone repeatedly with graphic vows to to murder him.

"I could not believe how many death threats I got," Lamberth said.

This should shock you.

U.S. Marshalls say every time Trump is in court, there is an uptick in threats toward judges, prosecutors and their staffs.

When Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a fine of $454 billion on Trump earlier this year, he received hundreds of threatening messages including this one: "Trust me when I say this. I will come for you."

When Trump was finally charged with election interference, he wrote on social media: "If you go after me, I'm coming after you."

The next day, the black judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, received this voicemail from a woman: "You stupid slave n-----. If Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you. So tread lightly, bitch."

Consider those words in modern America.

In the Reuters review of the statistics, it concluded that physical attacks against judges remain "relatively rare." Just three state judges and one federal judge have been killed since 2000.

While Reuters made the killing of four judges "rare," I still found it chilling.

In July 2020, a man dressed as a postal delivery person rang her doorbell of Federal Judge Esther Salas. She was in the basement with her 20-year-old son cleaning up after his birthday party.

Her son ran up the stairs to answer the door.

Her son was shot three times in the chest. When Salas' husband rushed to the door he was shot as well. He crawled out onto the porch in hopes of getting a description of the vehicle. He then watched his son die.

The shooter was an anti-feminist lawyer who believed Judge Salas was moving too slowly in a case he was involved. He killed himself after the murder. In his car was a list of other potential targets, including three other female judges. He was found dead a day later after killing himself.

There seems to be a segment of our population that believes judges are politicians guilty of corruption, that a political appointment is grounds for disqualification and perhaps even the use of a rope if taken literally.

I wonder how many of those who watched Judge Michelini in Washington County believed he was politically partisan because he was endorsed by a political party. Or perhaps those beliefs are limited to judges in New York City and Washington, D.C. So many seem to believe the judge can make a fair and impartial ruling against someone like Bankman-Fried one day, but then make an about face when the case involves a prominent political figure.

We either believe in the rule of law or we don't.

Right now, if the threats of judges are any indication, a good segment of the population does not and I suspect that is going to get worse this year. 

Joe Girard III topped 100 3-pointers at Clemson this year. It was a single season record for the school.

Joe Girard - The End?

I've been watching the extraordinary basketball career of Joe Girard III for almost a decade. I calculate I have watched more than 150 of his games since his freshman year of high school.

It has been quite a ride.

So with five seconds left Saturday night, Girard buried one final 3-pointer for Clemson. It wasn't going to be enough as Clemson was ousted by Alabama one game short of the Final Four with Girard leading Clemson in scoring with 19 points.

Considering all Girard's accomplishments, the Final Four would have been a fitting conclusion to his collegiate career.

I suspect there will be more ball in Girard's future, but the ride is mostly over for most of us fans.

After Jimmer Fredette's amazing Glens Falls career, I remember telling more than one person we would never see a talent like that pass this way again.

Then, along came Girard. We hit the jackpot twice.

It has been a thrilling and wonderful ride. It's been a privilege to have a front row seat.

A Chapman Christmas

Reminder that we are in need of Christmas decorations - both inside and out - for the Chapman Museum.

We are hoping to really upgrade the holiday decorating this year. We have already received $350 in donations for the cause as well as some wreaths and ornaments.

To donate decorations, contact me at tingleykenneth4@gmail.com.

To donate funds, go to the Chapman Museum website under Support/gifts.