Justice is expensive. This is a fact we need to understand. But to understand it is not to say that taxpayers should put up with every expense some sorehead litigant can think of to create.
And it's not death penalty litigation I'm talking about here. It's the story of a Municipal judge in Cleveland who was suspended by the state Supreme Court for being an abusive, arrogant prig. She's in a trial, of sorts, seeking to undo the suspension. Thus far, Cleveland taxpayers have paid out nearly a million dollars with no end in sight, and no prospect visible in the story that the suspension should or will be overturned.
This is not a criminal case, mind you. Indeed, it's not a "case" at all in the conventional sense. But it is Exhibit A for the proposition that procedure has run amok. No sane system would put up with this.
Perhaps one reason Cleveland is putting up with it is that the Judge in question is the daughter of a once-powerful Cleveland politician. But even that falls short.
The story is here. I wonder if we'll be hearing from anyone on the Ohio death penalty study commission who takes the view that the expenses of capital sentencing -- which has at least the virtue of being morally significant -- might be better handled if we put an end to nonsensical waste like this.
There ought to be a special place in hell for entitled judges who abuse lawyers and others---they are not in a position to fight back due to the contempt power. If there were any justice in this world, "Judge" Stokes would serve a 10 year sentence.
It's disgusting that hardworking Clevelanders are paying for this witch's scorched earth strategy.