Judge Jennifer Sletvold is Motions Judge this week. This is to go-to judge for anyone who needs an immediate ruling. But her husband's recent appointment as Chief Public Defender is already creating headaches for the Court, in the middle of a busy week of criminal trials.
Because of that appointment, Judge Sletvold is unable to entertain any matter involving the Public Defender's office because it creates an appearance of impropriety.
So yesterday, Sletvold was unable to hear several PFA contempt petitions as well as some bail matters because of the involvement of the public defender's office. Now I suppose you could let these defendants run unfettered until something terrible happens. The courts instead dispatched Judge Paula Roscioli to hear these matters, which took her away from criminal trials.
This appointment is a completely unnecessary disaster. Although the Republicans have the political clout to confirm Bob Sletvold as Public Defender, this is bad government. What is worse, it could lead down the road to someone getting hurt.
8 comments:
If Brown were smart ,and he may not be, he should rescind the Public Defender appointment.
This has all the makings of a very real problem that could result in people getting hurt. I am sure there are plenty of other places where Sletvold can serve. My objection is not to him or to the Executive's desire to pout in his own people. But this will effectively make it impossible for Bob's wife to do the job she was elected to do.
if a PFA contempt matter or bail revocation has to be put off bc no judge is available, and someone gets killed, that is a heavy price to pay for patronage politics.
Would Jim Gregory be incarcerated if the Sletvolds hadn't abandoned him?
This has always been the Republican do as I say not as I do way. There are a hundred solicitors make him one, make him two.
But this sio about glory, mo9ney and my way!
President Judge Barata is culpable if someone is hurt by his Order preventing the Administration of Justice by Judge Sletvold.
Personal responsibility ultimately resides with the person. Not someone else!
Let's see if I have this straight. We have a Judge who is now latched on to the public teat for a salary of 170,000 dollars per year and now her husband is on the public teat for another 50,000 dollars a year. In our part of the county where we raise animals on our farm we call those critters "PIGS". Feeding at the trough. Not to mention the inconvience of the Courts.
Husband Sletvold needs to put his ego on the shelf for now. His appointment is getting his wife's tenure off to a bad start. It's what people will remember about both of them. It's not fair to the rest of the Court, or to the poor PDs and their clients, who have to run around--or wait--for the administration to figure out how to deal w/the conflict when Judge Sletvold is in a position of conflict. There are many qualified lawyers to be the chief PD. Brown doesn't have to stick w/Sletvold and Sletvold should back off and give his wife a chance to become a good Judge. What a mess.
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