Sotomayor chides prosecutor for ‘racially charged’ question
Source: Washington Post
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused a Texas federal prosecutor Monday of tapping into a deep and sorry vein of racial prejudice in his questioning of a black man facing a drug charge.
The justices did not accept Bongani Charles Calhouns request that the court review his conviction, but Sotomayor appended a scathing statement to make sure that the courts denial was not be seen as a signal of tolerance of a federal prosecutors racially charged remark.
Sotomayor did not name Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam L. Ponder in her statement, but she denounced his questioning of Calhoun, who maintained in court that he did not know that the friends with whom he was traveling were planning a drug deal.
Ponder had asked Calhoun: Youve got African Americans, youve got Hispanics, youve got a bag full of money. Does that tell you a light bulb doesnt go off in your head and say, This is a drug deal?
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sotomayor-chides-prosecutor-for-racially-charged-question/2013/02/25/23e4a836-7f8d-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html
blueclown
(1,869 posts)Why not the other 7 justices? Is something like this partisan?
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)with the prosecutor.
1KansasDem
(251 posts)I didn't believe we ever know what the vote is.
Refusing to take the case had nothing to do with the incendiary questioning of the witness.
It was basically a statute of limitations issue.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)Silent she remained on that point.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)statement is. Your inference--based on no facts at all, is revolting.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)the prosecutor did more than make one statement--and the DOJ should have done a better job on this.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2425506
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)Good to have a lawyer amongst us.
I hate law. Helped my mom edit her essays in real estate law and criminal law. Really fascinating stuff but it's not terribly interesting to me (fascinating when reading, but if I wasn't helping my mom edit her essays for school, I wouldn't have cared much about it, still I learned a lot). She can't do Word very well but she's one sharp lady.
edit: she actually has a signed letter from Sotomayor congratulating her on her success in criminal law, because she did a paper and sent it to Sotomayor and apparently Sotomayor read it. One of her proudest possessions.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)Hekate
(90,714 posts)She's going to do us proud.