On Friday, I heard In Session’s anchor, Vinnie Politan, interview Judge James “Jaw-Dropping” Burge in the aftermath of his sentencing of teenager Daniel Kovarbasich. After his statements from the bench about the piteousness of pedophiles, I expected the judge to be more judicious in his on-camera remarks. Alas, he was not.

Politan asked the judge if it was true that as a defense attorney he had represented murder victim Duane Hurley when he faced bribery charges. The judge acknowledged this.

Sidebar: Apparently, Hurley in some way managed a “community service” facility of the sort (I suppose) to which the judge sentenced Kovarbasich. Hurley, humanitarian pedophile that he was, apparently was accused of taking bribes from the “inmates” to avoid doing their time at the facility. Politan asked Judge Burge if he had any idea that Hurley was “grooming” victims for his sexual abuse. Not surprisingly Burge said he had no idea.

How did it happen that a defense attorney who once represented a man against charges he was engaged in cheating the justice system of its punishment and rehabilitative functions ever happen to be the judge in the trial of the man’s murderer? How did Kovarbasich’s attorney permit such a judge to take the bench in this trial? Kovarbasich’s defense attorney had no way of knowing what the judge thought of Hurley. If the judge had thought Hurley was unjustly accused of bribery, he might have been inclined to doubt the defendant’s story.

More Conflicted Judges

I have long wondered why a retired judge was permitted to take the bench in Scott Peterson’s trial. Judge Alfred A. Delucchi was over seventy and retired at the time of his appointment. Now the judge is dead and Peterson’s appeal seems to be in Limbo.

In the trial of Raynella Dossett-Leath, the judge was a former employee of her deceased first husband, a judge who is now scheduled to preside over her trial for his murder decades ago.

Judicial Education: We Need Professional Judges

I’ve said it before. It makes no sense to elevate trial lawyers to the bench without first requiring them to have advanced training in judging. Instead of making judicial appointments on a political basis, circuit court judges should be elected by the people, not simply retained in their positions by the people.