Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. I am acquainted with the principals in this story about a local Supreme Court Judge who is accused of throwing his weight around, and I have to say that I am surprised and not surprised. This is a judge that I get along with personally, because he is a smart guy, and I like smart guys. He is also, I have to say, the sort of judge who is not shy about pushing the envelope to get the result that he thinks should occur. On the other hand, reading between the lines, what may have been going on is that the judge was trying to avoid the possibility of a mistrial in the unrelated matter that the lawyer was trying before him. Knowing the lawyer, the unrelated matter was almost certainly a complex medical malpractice case, and a mistrial in such a matter would have been a terrible expense for the parties, if nothing else. The key sentence in the story is this one: "Cosgrove, 61, has served in State Supreme Court since his election in 1990." New York State Supreme Court Justices serve 14 year terms, and must step down at age 72. When you think about it that way, it is not unreasonable to ask, who is it that is throwing their weight around?
// posted by Bill @ 7:26 PM 
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