Controversy on the Michigan Supreme Court. From AboveTheLaw:
Less than a week after making history for being Michigan’s first Black female Supreme Court Justice, Justice Bolden is in hot water. And here’s the kicker — it isn’t even for something she did! As it turns out, a clerk that she hired is being taken to task for something he did 30 years ago. From the ABA Journal:
A former inmate convicted for robbing a store and shooting at a police officer has resigned his new job as a law clerk for a Michigan Supreme Court justice.
Pete Martel resigned from his position as a clerk for new Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, who said Martel didn’t want to be a distraction following criticism of his hiring, report the Associated Press and the Detroit News.
…
Martel had pleaded guilty to armed robbery and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in 1994, according to the Detroit News. He attended the Wayne State University Law School after his release from prison in 2008, according to the AP. He went on to work for the state’s appellate defender office as a mitigation specialist.
Given the little I know about Justice Bolden, her decision to hire Martel as a clerk is on brand. If she has enough belief in redemption narratives to dedicate her life to serving as a judge in a legal system that utterly failed to do justice by her great grandfather after he was lynched, surely giving a second chance to an individual is a lesser act of faith. Here are her own words on the matter:
She explained her hiring decision in an interview with radio station WWJ.
“I don’t think you should be held to crimes for the rest of your life, especially crimes that were committed 30 years ago, and you have done everything possible to transform your life,” Bolden said,
And I think she has a point. Is it really fair for this guy to be defined as an ex-con 30 years after the fact because he shot a police officer? Since when does having a criminal record prevent you from being a force for justice?...
A total disgrace that he was forced to resign.
ReplyDeleteThis is strong evidence that criminal justice is about revenge, not rehabilitation
ReplyDelete12:38 you should not be surprised. They say it over and over again. Criminal Justice is about punishment with a strong inclination to ignore any evidence of rehabilitation
ReplyDeleteFYI this captcha is driving me nuts. How many times do I have to tap on all the motorcycles?
This is actually not a story about the criminal justice system in the traditional sense. This is the story about a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court acting out.
ReplyDelete