Weaponized justice

Richard Kortiz
Posted 1/16/25

I try not to second guess the actions of judges and prosecutors because I realize they often have information that the public does not have.   For the prosecution of Trump in New York, I will …

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Weaponized justice

Posted

I try not to second guess the actions of judges and prosecutors because I realize they often have information that the public does not have.  For the prosecution of Trump in New York, I will make an exception.

For the life of me I still do not know with specificity what particular law Trump violated. The jury instructions did not have that specificity requirement, which simply astounds me. 

Trump was sentenced last week on 34 felony convictions. That is serious on its face.  But then the question is, what was the sentence? Both New York County District Prosecutor  Alvin Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan are solidly in the Democratic camp. I personally have no issue with that as such. A quick look at the counties around DeWitt will show that some are Democrat and some Republican.

The party affiliation has historically meant very little when it comes to local prosecutions. The judge and prosecutor simply enforce the law. I have practiced before Republicans and Democrats. It made no difference.

Trump’s sentencing was very telling in my simplistic opinion. The only sentence that was imposed by Judge Merchan was a conviction of record on those 34 felony counts. No fine. No jail. No probation. No continuing order of any kind. Mr. Trump, you are now a convicted felon. Have a good day and goodbye. 

If the court had entered some punitive sanction and then because of the unique circumstances of the election, stayed its order, I would have a bit more respect for the New York justice system. This was nothing, except a tremendous expenditure of tax dollars by the state and a lot of Trump money for the defense. To me that reeks of a weaponized justice system for a political purpose. That is a system that this country does not need. My fervent hope is that Trump does not do unto others that which was inflicted on him. Time will tell.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES—Perhaps my view on the wildfires is too harsh, but it is a viewpoint that needs to be addressed. First, we as a nation need to provide assistance for those who have been harmed by the wildfires. Most of those harmed had nothing to do with the causal events for the fires. They simply need a lot of assistance.

What concerns me is local policy and zoning. The wildfire area is covered in brush and trees with canyons and ravines. The roads are narrow and with sharp curves. Add to this that nature’s natural way of cleaning out the forest is fire, normally by lightning strikes, and we have the perfect formula for disaster. The area is full of homes in the woods, which people love and enjoy.

The local government doesn’t like to have controlled burns to eradicate the brush which is simply tinder for a major fire. There have been no major efforts to eradicate that brush, which simply dried out and waited for a fire to come along. If you want to have people living in the rural areas of LA, then there has to be a decided effort to reduce the source of potential fires.

Politics aside, if you fail to manage the property, mother nature will do what is natural for the environment and that is a fire. I live in a wooded area of the county, but there is separation between the house and the wooded area. As a 15-year-old I caught my father’s pasture on fire. He was not pleased with me, and I got the message. Clear brush appropriately and be aware of the danger of fire getting out of control.

California needs to learn those lessons, before more people are harmed and homes destroyed.