As Good Oil readers are no doubt all-too-aware, I’ve been banging the drum for months for the necessity of ‘judicial and bureaucratic responsibility’ laws, along the lines of ‘industrial manslaughter’ laws. The basic principle is simple: if bosses can be jailed for workplace deaths they should have foreseen (even if they weren’t directly involved), then why shouldn’t judges and bureaucrats be held similarly responsible for the entirely foreseeable consequences of their actions.
For instance, if a judge bails a gang member with a string of recent violent crime convictions, and they go right on to maim and murder someone, well, shouldn’t the judge have foreseen that likelihood? And be held accountable for it?
I’m sure American politicians aren’t reading my work, but they are coming to the same conclusions. Especially in the wake of shocking murders like the unprovoked stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska by a criminal who was on cashless bail – essentially meaning that he walked free with no consequences – despite at least 14 arrests.
Republican Rep Randy Fine of Florida wants judges to face consequences if they release violent repeat offenders who go on to perpetrate additional crimes.
“I’m going to introduce legislation to hold judges accountable when violent repeat offenders they release commit new crimes,” the congressman declared in a post on X.
As Fine notes, a large part of the problem is that judges know they will never have to personally face the consequences of their virtue signalling. The repeat criminals they turn loose with such cavalier disregard will never run amok in their nice neighbourhoods, after all. Those are poor people problems.
“It’s easy to release criminals when you’re protected by an armed bailiff at all times. The rest of us aren’t so lucky,” Fine continued. He asserted that “Those 12+ judges that released Decarlos Brown Jr should have their day in court too.”
Because Brown sure had plenty – and he walked free on them, repeatedly.
Brown has past convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny, breaking and entering, and shoplifting, WBTV reported […]
Brown’s public defender had filed a motion questioning Brown’s “capacity to proceed” in the case. A judge then ordered a forensic evaluation, which was never done, Queen City News reported.
Others, including some very influential people, are taking up the call for judicial responsibilty.
Elon Musk wrote on X: “Let’s change the law. Between now and then, name and shame the DAs and judges who enable murder, rape and robbery. But especially shame those who funded the campaigns of the DAs and judges. That will make the biggest difference.”
And of course the media are going to throw around the usual slurs.
The far-right Libs of TikTok account wrote on X: “How many arrests does it take for a liberal judge to finally say that this lunatic belongs behind bars and is too dangerous to walk the streets again???”
Apparently at least 13.
