Re: Mindich "legal woes"

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

it was written--
>Yes...but not for the sentencing, the hearings are about her lack of 
>judicial restraint from her yelling at DA's and essentially telling clerks 
>how she was going to rule before any arguments were even made.   The 
>Boston Herald is making her the poster child for Mass's judicial system 
>run amok...and so far I've been inclined to agree with them.  Mindich has 
>not made things any easier by fighting any release of any relevant 
>documents tooth and nail, no matter how small it seemed....makes him and 
>his wife look that much more "guilty".

Umm, there is a bit more to the story than most people are aware.  Shh, 
don't tell anyone, but I am told by well-informed sources that a certain 
publisher of the Herald and a certain publisher of the Phoenix are not 
exactly the bestest of friends, if you catch my meaning.  So, while I am 
sure it's a genuine news story, this little vendetta is about something 
more than the Herald standing up for judicial ethics.  Meanwhile, I agree 
the sentence Judge Lopez gave out was outrageous, but come one-- every day, 
rapists are given light sentences, wife beaters are sent home (and in one 
well-publicised case, the male judge suggested to the wife to be nicer to 
her husband and then he wouldn't have to hit her... and no I am not making 
this up... oh, and I don't recall a similar outcry from the Herald a few 
years back when that very politically-connected judge made that 
statement... but, to the Herald's credit, a few months ago when a judge 
basically blamed a young victim for being raped, the Herald did howl 
mightily about it...), drunk drivers who kill somebody with their car are 
let off with a slap on the wrist--- so let's not single out Judge 
Lopez.  Let's examine sentencing patterns in general and then we can see if 
her actions were so far out of line compared to her colleagues on the 
bench.  Somehow, I think that her very assertive personality is being put 
on trial, not just her actions.  [and I am sure I'll get flamed for saying 
this...]