Re: Do you know a bad judge?
Posted by Kelly on 8/01/08

On 2/25/08, Sandra Day O’Connor wrote:
> How To Save Our Courts
> By Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
> Published: February 24, 2008
> To find out more about the court system in your state, visit
> www.judicialselection.us.
>
>
> ***
>
>
> In my work as a Supreme Court justice, I was required by the Constitution to
> fairly and impartially apply the law—not the law as I wanted it to be but the
> law as it was. Now, as a private citizen, I am anxious about the state of the
> judiciary in America.
>
> I am not concerned about particular judges or cases, nor am I concerned about
> the judiciary shifting right or left.What worries me is the manner in which
> politically motivated interest groups are attempting to interfere with
> justice.
>
> The rule of law in the U.S. includes statutes and constitutional provisions.
> It also involves precedent, which is a previous judicial ruling on a matter.
> A judge typically defers to precedent. Like good cooking, good judging
> requires taking ingredients and procedures used successfully in the past and
> adjusting them to the case at hand. New legal recipes—or rules—can have major
> ramifications. So if a judge comes up with a new way to apply the law, her
> opinion may be reviewed by state or federal appellate courts to ensure that
> it is a correct interpretation of the law. If it’s not, it’s overturned.
>
> Thus, our judicial system has safeguards to ensure consistency and
> preservation of the law. But it is threatened when judges ignore settled law
> and make decisions according to personal or public preferences.
>
> The judiciary currently is experiencing unprecedented pressure from interest
> groups to make decisions that are based on politics. In Washington, D.C., we
> hear a lot about federal judges, and they have a critical role in upholding
> the Constitution. But having been a state judge and a state legislator, I
> know that the vast majority of law is state law. Ninety-five percent of
> litigation takes place in state courts. Many legal issues are primarily
> decided there, including divorce, property rights, employment law, product
> liability and medical malpractice.
>
> Political pressure is a big problem in a number of our state courts. More
> than 89&37; of state judges go through some form of election process. Many of
> these elections recently have become full-fledged political battles, fueled
> by growing sums of money spent by candidates and special-interest groups to
> attack, defend and counterattack.
>
> The money can be spent in polarizing ways. When Bill Cunningham was running
> for the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2006, one opposing campaign ad implied that
> he was responsible for letting six rapists out on parole. It said: “One had
> been on parole for only 12 hours when he raped a 14-year-old and made her
> mother watch.”
>
> This story was very misleading. Cunningham, then a lower-court judge, did
> rule to change the sentences of several rapists from life without parole to
> life with the possibility of parole, but these men all stayed in jail. And
> the rape referred to in the ad occurred 20 years earlier, before Cunningham
> was even a judge.
>
> Sue Bell Cobb remembers speaking to a reporter the day after she won the
> election for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2006. Chief
> Justice Cobb expected to be asked how it felt to be the first woman in that
> job. Instead, the reporter asked: “How does it feel to be the victor of the
> second most expensive judicial race in U.S. history? How will you convince
> the people of Alabama that the campaign contributions you sought will not
> impact how you rule? How can we convince people their courts are not for
> sale?”
>
> I imagine she answered much like Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd
> Karmeier did after he won the most expensive judicial election in American
> history in 2004. That race cost the candidates $9.3 million, a sum greater
> than what was spent in more than half of the U.S. Senate races that year.
> Karmeier said of the money: “That’s obscene for a judicial race. What does it
> gain people? How can anyone have faith in the system?”
>
> Good questions. When so much money goes into influencing the outcome of a
> judicial election, it is hard to have faith that we are selecting judges who
> are fair and impartial. If I could do one thing to solve this problem, it
> would be to convince the states that select judges through partisan elections—
> that is, when a Democrat and Republican run against one another—to switch to
> merit selection instead. Under this plan, currently used in states such as
> Colorado and Nebraska, an independent commission of knowledgeable citizens
> recommends candidates to the governor, who appoints one of them as judge.
> After several years on the bench, the judge’s name is submitted to the
> electorate, who vote on whether he should keep his position. This method
> decreases the importance of money and politics in the process while still
> allowing voter input on retaining each judge.
>
> I believe the long-term solution to the politicization of the judiciary
> process is education. Children, voters, policymakers and lawyers all should
> be informed about the importance of a fair, impartial judiciary. Judges
> should write their opinions in plain English so that the public can
> understand what the law is.
>
> You also should educate yourself, an especially important task if you live in
> one of the 39 states that holds elections for judges. Take these steps:
>
> • First, learn about the candidates. That you agree with a person’s policy
> positions is irrelevant to whether he or she would make a good judge.
> Evaluate them based on their ability to be fair, impartial and competent.
> Look for unbiased sources—many states offer voter guides and performance
> evaluations.
>
> • Second, be suspicious if a candidate makes a promise about how he or she
> would rule in a particular case. Every case is different and should be judged
> according to how the law applies to that situation. If a judge decides a case
> based on a campaign promise, he or she has not upheld the pledge to be fair
> and impartial.
>
> • Third, vote. Judicial elections tend to garner little attention. This is
> increasingly problematic, because interest groups often can be the main
> source of information. The only way to counteract this is to research the
> candidates, know where your information is coming from and vote.
>
> I’m working with Georgetown University and Arizona State University on two
> programs on this subject. One is called Our Courts and will be an online
> civics experience for children. They’ll be able to step into a judge’s shoes
> so they can better understand what he or she does. The other program, the
> Sandra Day O’Connor Project on the State of the Judiciary, will create a
> dialogue between experts and law practitioners on the court system and report
> on the best ways to safeguard its role.
>
> I hope I can make a lasting contribution to protecting our courts. We must
> preserve our system of government, a system for which I have the utmost
> respect as I reflect back on my Supreme Court career.
>
> What To Know About Our Courts
>
> Courts in the United States are divided into two separate systems: federal
> and state.
>
> The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the country, followed
> by 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals, then by 94 district courts. Federal judges are
> appointed by the President and serve until they retire or die.
>
> State court systems vary; each state structures its courts in a slightly
> different way. In 39 states, some or all of the judges are chosen through
> elections. To find out more about the court system in your state, visit
> www.judicialselection.us.
>
> Sandra Day O’Connor served as an associate justice of the United States
> Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006.
> On 2/08/08, LYNN wrote:
>> Mitchell Shick signed my divorce papers and from his signature from what I
>> can tell he seems to be a very angry man, or very disturbed individual.
>>
>>
>> On 11/02/07, IWU Class of 78 wrote:
>>> On 11/02/07, Vickie wrote:
>>>> Are you serious, that judge Mitchell Shick gave her an order of
>>>> protection; just because she said she heard it from a third party you
>>>> were going to get her boy friend? It sounds like shick is over worked,
>>>> and he is running people in and out of his court room just to get to
>>>> the next case quickly. The court system should require that all judges
>>>> have to go see a doctor every six months to make sure they can still
>>>> effectively do their job.
>>>>
>>>> On 10/25/07, Brenda wrote:
>>>>> Judge Mitchell Shick is very in love with himself, but I don’t think
>>>>> that makes him a Monster.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 10/10/07, Car wrote:
>>>>>> Here’s my two cents, I think Mitchell Shick needs to go see a
>>>>>> shrink.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 7/31/07, X RIDER wrote:
>>>>>>> JUDGE MITCHELL SCHICK
>>>>>>> Charleston Illinois
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Here’s my story about Mitchell Schick. This happened to me in
>>>>>>> court about a year ago; my daughter was mad at me because I
>>>>>>> didn’t like her boy friend and I was trying to get her off her
>>>>>>> addiction to the drug called crack. She is 25 years old at the
>>>>>>> time and I was going through a divorce, she got hold of my wife
>>>>>>> which was mad at me which was trying to destroy me and my
>>>>>>> Daughter obtain a protection order from Judge Mitchell k Shick.
>>>>>>> Here is what my Daughter said to this judge to obtain this order.
>>>>>>> She told him that she heard from a third party that I wanted to
>>>>>>> blow up her boy friend if they got married and his parents also,
>>>>>>> and leave her standing there to see it all. This ignorant judge,
>>>>>>> with no proof of this statement from her, orders up a protective
>>>>>>> order against me for 2 years. He hands these orders of
>>>>>>> protections out like giving candy to kids. You would think, that
>>>>>>> even if he had any proof of what my daughter said was true, he
>>>>>>> would give the protection orders to her boy friend and his
>>>>>>> parents, because she said the threat was toward them, not her,
>>>>>>> how stupid is that? I can’t believe Schick is a judge; he was a
>>>>>>> lawyer before he was a judge, so he went to school to become a
>>>>>>> lawyer. He has never attended school to learn how to become a
>>>>>>> judge, he has no experience how to judge anyone, he only relies
>>>>>>> on what he has learned in school to become a lawyer, this makes
>>>>>>> him a bad person to be in a position of a judging people. This is
>>>>>>> my opinion.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Judge Mitchell K. SHICK
>>>>>>>> Republican colleagues of Judge Albert Webber
>>>>>>>> ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT REMOVES ALLEGED RACIST JUDGE WHILE
>>>>>>>> BROTHERS AND SISTERS STILL REMAIN SEGREGATED BY RACE
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The Illinois Supreme Court has removed Decatur Illinois Probate
>>>>>>>> Judge Albert (A.G.) Webber IV from an Illinois woman’s case.
>>>>>>>> Amy Schneider, a mother of five has been in court trying to
>>>>>>>> regain possession of her two oldest children, Kaela Elizabeth
>>>>>>>> Sliney-Schneider and Joshua Matthew Sliney-Schneider, both
>>>>>>>> Caucasian.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> According to an order issued April 20, 2005, by the Illinois
>>>>>>>> Supreme Court, Charleston, Illinois (Coles County) Fifth
>>>>>>>> Circuit Judge Mitchell K. Shick, a Republican, was assigned to
>>>>>>>> replace Webber in the case. “It’s like something you see on TV;
>>>>>>>> Judge Webber operates outside the law, specifically §755 ILCS
>>>>>>>> 5/11-5(b),” says Schneider, “and after Webber is removed his
>>>>>>>> Republican colleagues make sure I am deprived of any access to
>>>>>>>> the court and remain unlawfully stripped of my constitutionally
>>>>>>>> protected rights to a parent child relationship.”
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Schneider, who lives in Normal, Illinois with her three younger
>>>>>>>> Black children, has previously filed a complaint with the
>>>>>>>> Judicial Review Board accusing Webber of segregation and
>>>>>>>> racism. “I was not complaining about Judge Webber’s decisions,
>>>>>>>> per se, I was complaining about Judge Webber denying me, a fit
>>>>>>>> parent, due process as required by the constitution,” said
>>>>>>>> Schneider.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> “Webber went so far as to fabricate derogatory medical and
>>>>>>>> domestic accusations against me to forcibly keep my children
>>>>>>>> with hostile non-parents so I can’t see them at all. However,
>>>>>>>> the sworn testimonies of a valid Illinois medical doctor and
>>>>>>>> two Normal Illinois Police officers directly dispute Webber’s
>>>>>>>> accusations,” said Schneider.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> “Webber is not only crooked, but he is a malevolent crook,”
>>>>>>>> Schneider said. “Court records will prove Webber used his
>>>>>>>> elected state office to circumvent the law, line the pockets of
>>>>>>>> his friends with my children’s money, and manifested racial
>>>>>>>> bigotry to punish me and my young Black children while the
>>>>>>>> Illinois supervising Courts had simply looked the other way,”
>>>>>>>> Schneider claims.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> “My two children had never been to San Angelo, Texas when they
>>>>>>>> were abducted by Karen M. Coates without permission or the
>>>>>>>> knowledge of any court on August 28, 2002,” Schneider
>>>>>>>> said. “Webber and his Illinois Republican Party friends have
>>>>>>>> closed ranks, and this is nothing more than two children being
>>>>>>>> for sale, purchased and delivered by the Macon County Decatur,
>>>>>>>> Illinois Court for about $250,000.00.”
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Republican Judge Mitch Schick of the Coles county court
>>>>>>>>> house in Charleston Illinois, has illegally violated general
>>>>>>>>> assembly law 14.5 (a) concerning firearms; he has violated
>>>>>>>>> Illinois, and federal constitutional laws and his oath to
>>>>>>>>> protect the constitution, which is an act of treason. I have
>>>>>>>>> notified the FBI of this matter. Judge MITCH SCHICK is
>>>>>>>>> trying to cover this matter up, hoping it will go away. I
>>>>>>>>> have solid evidence (documentation) from the Coles County
>>>>>>>>> Court house that proves that he illegally seized my two guns
>>>>>>>>> without having any reason to do this illegal act. I had no
>>>>>>>>> criminal recorded anywhere recorded, and he gave me no trial
>>>>>>>>> to defend my self in court by law, he took them before I
>>>>>>>>> even had the chance to show up for my court date to defend
>>>>>>>>> myself, which is a violation of 14.5 (a) Illinois law. He
>>>>>>>>> ordered this action to seize my guns violating every law
>>>>>>>>> written to protect the common citizen. Judge Mitch Shick is
>>>>>>>>> working above the law, and must be accountable for his
>>>>>>>>> actions. I have also notified Senator Dale Righter from
>>>>>>>>> Illinois of this matter. I am waiting to see if he will obey
>>>>>>>>> the law and take proper action. It has been two weeks now
>>>>>>>>> and no response from Righter.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
>>>>>>>>> Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law
>>>>>>>>> This statute makes it a crime for any person acting under
>>>>>>>>> color of law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom to
>>>>>>>>> willfully deprive or cause to be deprived from any person
>>>>>>>>> those rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected
>>>>>>>>> by the Constitution and laws of the U.S.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> This law further prohibits a person acting under color of
>>>>>>>>> law, statute, ordinance, regulation or custom to willfully
>>>>>>>>> subject or cause to be subjected any person to different
>>>>>>>>> punishments, pains, or penalties, than those prescribed for
>>>>>>>>> punishment of citizens on account of such person being an
>>>>>>>>> alien or by reason of his/her color or race.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Acts under "color of any law" include acts not only done by
>>>>>>>>> federal, state, or local officials within the bounds or
>>>>>>>>> limits of their lawful authority, but also acts done without
>>>>>>>>> and beyond the bounds of their lawful authority; provided
>>>>>>>>> that, in order for unlawful acts of any official to be done
>>>>>>>>> under "color of any law," the unlawful acts must be done
>>>>>>>>> while such official is purporting or pretending to act in
>>>>>>>>> the performance of his/her official duties. This definition
>>>>>>>>> includes, in addition to law enforcement officials,
>>>>>>>>> individuals such as Mayors, Council persons, Judges, Nursing
>>>>>>>>> Home Proprietors, Security Guards, etc., persons who are
>>>>>>>>> bound by laws, statutes ordinances, or customs.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Punishment varies from a fine or imprisonment of up to one
>>>>>>>>> year, or both, and if bodily injury results or if such acts
>>>>>>>>> include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a
>>>>>>>>> dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire shall be fined or
>>>>>>>>> imprisoned up to ten years or both, and if death results, or
>>>>>>>>> if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap,
>>>>>>>>> aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated
>>>>>>>>> sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under
>>>>>>>>> this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life,
>>>>>>>>> or both, or may be sentenced to death.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Please if anyone else has been criminally violated by Judge
>>>>>>>>> Mitchell K Schick. Notified the FBI and the Illinois
>>>>>>>>> Judicial Inquiry Board, to file a complaint.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> HB1106 - 11 - LRB095 09700 RLC 29902 b ILLINOIS GENERAL
>>>>>>>>> ASSEMBLY LAW 14.5(a) Protection Order
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 1 When there’s evidence to use firearms illegally against
>>>>>>>>> the petitioner, and the
>>>>>>>>> 2 respondent is present in court, or has failed to appear
>>>>>>>>> 3 after receiving actual notice, the court shall examine on
>>>>>>>>> 4 oath the petitioner, and any witnesses who may be
>>>>>>>>> produced.
>>>>>>>>> 5 If the court is satisfied that there is any danger of the
>>>>>>>>> 6 illegal uses of firearms, it shall include in the order of
>>>>>>>>> 7 protections the requirement that any firearms in the
>>>>>>>>> 8 possession of the respondent, except as provided in
>>>>>>>>> 9 subsections (b), be turned over to the local law
>>>>>>>>> enforcement
>>>>>>>>> 10 agencies for safekeeping. If the respondent fails to
>>>>>>>>> appear,
>>>>>>>>> 11 or refuses or fails to surrender his or her firearms, the
>>>>>>>>> 12 court shall issue a warrant for seizure of any firearm in
>>>>>>>>> 13 the possession of the respondent. The period of
>>>>>>>>> safekeeping
>>>>>>>>> 14 shall be for a stated period of time not to exceed 2
>>>>>>>>> years.
>>>>>>>>> 15 The firearm or firearms shall be returned to the
>>>>>>>>> respondent
>>>>>>>>> 16 at the end of the stated period or at expiration of the
>>>>>>>>> 17 order of protection, whichever is sooner.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I NEVER GOT A TRIAL TO DEFEND MYSELF IN COURT, AND JUDGE
>>>>>>>>> MITCHELL K SCHICK ORDERED MY TWO GUNS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN
>>>>>>>>> FIRED TO BE SEIZED. HE HAD NO EVIDIENCE TO JUSTFIE THIS
>>>>>>>>> ACTION AGAINST ME. THIS CRIMINAL ACT IS AGAINST EVERY LAW
>>>>>>>>> WRITTEN IN THIS COUNTRY. I HAD NO POLICE RECORD NOTED
>>>>>>>>> ANYWHERE. I SERVED HONROBALLY IN THE ARMY, AIRFORCE; AND
>>>>>>>>> FOUGHT IN THE GULF WAR TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.
>>>>>>>>> THIS JUDGE IS OUT OF CONTROL AND MUST BE ACCOUTABLE FOR HIS
>>>>>>>>> ACTION. ONE OTHER THING, SENATOR OBAMA OF ILLINOIS, IS
>>>>>>>>> SUPPOSE TO BE LOOKING INTO THIS CRIMINAL ACT AGAINST ME, SO
>>>>>>>>> THERE IS SOME HOPE TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTION.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> HERES Another Judge Mitchell K Schick victim read this one:
>>>>>>>>> According to an order issued April 20, 2005, by the Illinois
>>>>>>>>> Supreme Court, Charleston, Illinois (Coles County) Fifth
>>>>>>>>> Circuit Judge Mitchell K. Shick, a Republican, was assigned
>>>>>>>>> to replace Webber in the case. “It’s like something you see
>>>>>>>>> on TV; Judge Webber operates outside the law, specifically
>>>>>>>>> §755 ILCS 5/11-5(b),” says Schneider, “and after Webber is
>>>>>>>>> removed his Republican colleagues make sure I am deprived of
>>>>>>>>> any access to the court and remain unlawfully stripped of my
>>>>>>>>> constitutionally protected rights to a parent child
>>>>>>>>> relationship
>>>>>>>>>

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Do you know a bad judge? , 1/29/05, by Mark Yannone.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 2/27/05, by Tim.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 2/27/05, by Ozarks Lawyer.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 2/27/05, by Mark Yannone.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 7/18/07, by Kelly.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 7/18/07, by Curmudgeon.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 7/26/07, by Terry.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 7/31/07, by X RIDER.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 8/28/07, by Claire.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 8/31/07, by Attorney.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 9/28/07, by Kim.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/01/07, by bill.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/02/07, by Kim.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/03/07, by Andy.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/03/07, by Ozarks Lawyer.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/05/07, by Amber.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/10/07, by Car.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/11/07, by X Rider.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/13/07, by Larry.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/14/07, by Jennifer.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 10/25/07, by Brenda.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 11/02/07, by Vickie.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 11/02/07, by IWU Class of 78.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 11/07/07, by Trish.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 1/22/08, by Paul.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 2/08/08, by LYNN.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 2/25/08, by Sandra Day O’Connor .
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 4/28/08, by Barbara.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 4/28/08, by Barbara.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 5/03/08, by Window.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 5/13/08, by Staff.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 5/16/08, by nope.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 7/28/08, by TEX.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 8/01/08, by Kelly.
• Re: Do you know a bad judge? , 8/02/08, by Moretti Family.