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ashling

(25,771 posts) Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:44 PM Oct 2015

Mississippi judge shrugs off innocent until proven guilty: People charged with crimes are criminals

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/mississippi-judge-shrugs-off-innocent-until-proven-guilty-people-charged-with-crimes-are-criminals/

Circuit Court Judge Marcus D. Gordon agrees that suspects have a right under state law to an attorney as soon as an arrest warrant is issued, but he freely admits that he saves money by waiting to assign public defenders until suspects are formally indicted, reported Al Jazeera.

However, defendants routinely wait in jail for months without speaking to an attorney because Mississippi doesn’t set a time limit for prosecutors to seek an indictment.

Gordon, who is facing an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit for excessive pretrial detention and denial of counsel, told a reporter that he understands the system is flawed, but he said most criminal defendants were “con people” who probably deserved jail time.

“Lady, people charged with crimes, they are criminals, and they say what meets their purpose,” Gordon said. “Now they told you they had requested an attorney. They had not requested an attorney in 98 percent of the cases. You never hear of that, I never hear of that.”

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I began practicing law in 1982 in Scott County, Ms in this man's courtroom.

Indictments started coming in on Thursday afternoon. Public defenders (from the local bar) got appointed as soon as they came in. Motions were set for Friday morning and trial was set for Monday morning.

I am proud to say that I was once held in contempt of court. Oh if he had only known the contempt I had for his court.

10 replies

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Highlight:

Mississippi judge shrugs off innocent until proven guilty: People charged with crimes are criminals (Original Post) ashling Oct 2015 OP

The mere fact that an asshole like that can even get to the bar.... A HERETIC I AM Oct 2015 #1

Elections in Mississippi and area routinely end up with white idiots, racists and bigots in power. Fred Sanders Oct 2015 #5

Idiot! Quackers Oct 2015 #2

Lemme guess, the prick is white and most of his VICTIMS arent randys1 Oct 2015 #3

Yeah, I'd bet good money he only thinks that about people of a certain non-beige skin tone phantom power Oct 2015 #7

Did he skip that part in law school where they covered the law and stuff? shenmue Oct 2015 #4

He's proof that Mississippi's bar exams are graded on a curve... n/t backscatter712 Oct 2015 #6

When he started in the field ashling Oct 2015 #8

Wisconsin is like that as well. If you go to UW Madison or Marquette University you graduate Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #9

Less common these days, ashling Oct 2015 #10

A HERETIC I AM

(24,379 posts)

1. The mere fact that an asshole like that can even get to the bar....

Reply to ashling (Original post)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:47 PM

Oct 2015

much less the bench is astounding.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)

5. Elections in Mississippi and area routinely end up with white idiots, racists and bigots in power.

Reply to A HERETIC I AM (Reply #1)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:58 PM

Oct 2015

Quackers

(2,256 posts)

2. Idiot!

Reply to ashling (Original post)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:49 PM

Oct 2015

That's all I can say.

randys1

(16,286 posts)

3. Lemme guess, the prick is white and most of his VICTIMS arent

Reply to ashling (Original post)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:49 PM

Oct 2015

even if most of his victims are white, still an asshole.

phantom power

(25,966 posts)

7. Yeah, I'd bet good money he only thinks that about people of a certain non-beige skin tone

Reply to randys1 (Reply #3)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 06:11 PM

Oct 2015

shenmue

(38,506 posts)

4. Did he skip that part in law school where they covered the law and stuff?

Reply to ashling (Original post)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 05:52 PM

Oct 2015

Was there a really long line when he went to get lunch?

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)

6. He's proof that Mississippi's bar exams are graded on a curve... n/t

Reply to ashling (Original post)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 06:01 PM

Oct 2015

ashling

(25,771 posts)

8. When he started in the field

Reply to backscatter712 (Reply #6)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 06:18 PM

Oct 2015

law students from Ole Miss Law School didn't have to take the exam

Ed Suspicious

(8,879 posts)

9. Wisconsin is like that as well. If you go to UW Madison or Marquette University you graduate

Reply to ashling (Reply #8)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 07:00 PM

Oct 2015

licensed to practice law in our state.

ashling

(25,771 posts)

10. Less common these days,

Reply to Ed Suspicious (Reply #9)

Mon Oct 19, 2015, 07:49 PM

Oct 2015

but used to be the norm.

I think the Ms. waiver for Ole Miss Law School dates back to the early 1900s when reading for the bar was pretty common. These waivers related to that, so basically you could go to law school or read for the bar.

I had an evidence professor in law school who had read for the bar in the 30s. Pretty interesting guy. After being admitted he was hired by the FBI. He said he thought he'd be sitting behind a desk, but they gave him a .45 and sent him to Chicago. He was there when they got Dillinger. Also worked under Melvin Purvis tracking Ma Barker, et al.

He later chief justice of the Ms Sp. Ct.

When I took the Ms bar exam, Ole Miss students were still exempt.

I always maintained to my Ole Miss friends that passing the bar exam made me a real lawyer.

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