Courts Seek More Protections for Judges

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050406/APA/504060974&cachetime=5

Courts Seek More Protections for Judges

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press Writer

Worried after recent attacks, federal judges on Wednesday urged Congress to provide more protection, including $12 million for security systems in most of their homes.

"Unfortunately, at the present time federal judges across the country are feeling particularly vulnerable, not only for themselves, but also for their families," said a letter from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the court's policy-making board led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

The request follows the murder in February of a federal judge's family in Chicago, the courtroom shooting deaths in Atlanta in March and emotional comments from some critics after judges refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.

.....

Republicans have been criticized for some of their statements about the federal courts after the Schiavo decision. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, raising the prospect of impeachment.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said this week he wonders if frustration against perceived political decisions by judges "builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in violence, certainly without any justification."

<</SNIP>>

[whistle]

1. How many federal judges are there in the country? Also, what....

...determines the number of federal judgeships? I would guess population and level of crimes, but are there other drivers? And why are federal judges appointed and not elected?

[meganmonkey]

5. Appointed, not elected:

They need to make decisions based on laws and the constitution, not popular opinion. Elections would compromise this because the voting population is generally not educated on laws/constituion like judges are. And this helps with the whole checks-and-balances/seperation of powers thing.

[central scrutinizer]

2. send the bill to Delay and Cornyn

after all, they are the ones enabling these wackos

[starwolf]

3. They can afford their own alarm systems

The rest of us do and we lack many of the perks and salaries judges make.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

6. The rest of us do

True, I have one in my home, but a case could be made that security is an exacerbated issue that comes with being a judge. Particular since it has been the Republicans who have been deriding the judiciary for several years now increasing their risk to harm.

[starwolf]

11. No deal

They decided to be a judge, they knew there were downsides to it, well before recent discontent about the actions of the judicial branch. Take a longer look back. Judges have been targeted for years. This recent noise is nothing new.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

15. But then again

If you thought you could get your employer to throw in another perk, would you hesitate to ask?

[starwolf]

17. We are their employer and should just say NO

[starwolf]

12. Deleted

Double Post - grrrrr

[CO Liberal]

4. Make Advocating Harm to a Federal Judge a Capital Offense

And lock up DeLay right now!!!!

[starwolf]

13. Why should they have any protection than the rest of us?

[Robbien]

7. Federal courts urge Congress, WH to provide more protection for judges

WASHINGTON – Worried after recent attacks, federal judges on Wednesday urged Congress to provide more protection, including $12 million for security systems in most of their homes.

"Unfortunately, at the present time federal judges across the country are feeling particularly vulnerable, not only for themselves, but also for their families," said a letter from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the court's policy-making board led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

. . .

Democrats said Congress should approve the judges' request. "It's ironic that judges who are guardians of our rights are subject to violence, and we ought to do everything we can to protect them," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "This is a reasonable request that I hope every senator will be for."

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said he would try to add the money to an emergency spending bill the Senate plans to consider next week. He was critical of lawmakers' comments following the Schiavo rulings.

"As leaders in Congress incite violence against judges, these same judges, the honorable men and women appointed to uphold America's laws and ideals, are living in fear of violence," Kennedy said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050406-1444-judges-protection.html

[wtbymark]

8. and who are the judges afraid of?

The Culture of Life people- soooooo ironic

[The Doctor.]

9. Gee, I guess they could start by getting Congress to

Stop making veiled threats against Judges.

"Mrs. Schiavo's death is a moral poverty and a legal tragedy. This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today." Rep Tom DeLay

"It causes a lot of people, including me, great distress to see judges use the authority that they have been given to make raw political or ideological decisions," he said. Sometimes, he said, "the Supreme Court has taken on this role as a policymaker rather than an enforcer of political decisions made by elected representatives of the people. <> "I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection, but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. . . . And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in, engage in violence." -Sen. Cornyn

[AlCzervik]

16. exactly

[unhappycamper]

10. Perhaps they could issue an injunction against those who advocate

violence against them?

[Endangered Specie]

14. Can't say I blame them...

since threatening judges is part of the Republican platform these days.