I personally can't see it as anything other than being a lackey for cops.

  • Infamousblt [any]
    ·
    3 days ago

    I'm gonna flip this one over a bit but hear me out. I live in a major city that allows for each and every one of our judges to be voted on. To help with this we have a website that basically pulls the information on where all these judges are coming from, what they used to do. Pretty much they were all lawyers, and so the site explains what type of cases they either defended or prosecuted. They also tell you if they were a defender or prosecutor and if they had any controversies (and what those controversies were).

    So last election of course I gotta sit down and look over every single one of these folks to see what they were up to. My gut was only vote yes on defenders and vote no on all prosecutors, but then I looked into some of them.

    Of course most of the prosecutors were criminal prosecutors, many for kids, those folks can literally go fuck off into the sun. But there were some standouts. One had controversies because she has spent the last 10 years pretty much only prosecuting cops. Another is a prosecutor for securities frauds and white collar crime. A third only takes landlords to court. I was fascinated.

    Of course then I started looking into the defenders too. If someone is prosecuting the above list then of course there are folks defending them too.

    Overall I think prosecutors are bad and defenders are good but it really does depend on exactly what they're prosecuting. I voted for the guy taking down slumlords and the lady whose made it her career to take down cops because of course. Love to see them as judges

    • LeZero [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      Let's not forget that Alan Dershowitz has been a defense lawyer for his whole career

      • footfaults
        ·
        edit-2
        18 hours ago

        deleted by creator

        • LeZero [he/him]
          ·
          3 days ago

          Sure, but the post is about defence lawyers in general, also and maybe that just prejudice on my part I don't think many public defenders run for elected judge positions

    • Feline [she/her, they/them]
      ·
      3 days ago

      IMO "Lesser of two evils" and strategic voting are very defensible positions for races like this.

      • Infamousblt [any]
        ·
        3 days ago

        Local elections can actually matter a lot, and small efforts can make big differences. It's much more direct. Totally different sort of thing than federal

        • ChaosMaterialist [he/him]
          ·
          3 days ago

          Democrats make a huge mistake not doorknocking because local orgs can explain these local issues better than any advertising campaign. Leftists and liberals can step into this place by organizing their local neighborhoods, churches, schools, workplaces, etc. People have far more power locally than nationally, and that local power can organize with other locals for greater regional/state/national power.

      • Infamousblt [any]
        ·
        3 days ago

        Unfortunately someone is gonna be a judge so I'd rather the person who is jailing cops instead of the person jailing kids. I do think that voting matters a lot more at the local level too, there's a lot more meaningful impact that can be done for real people on the microscale level. But I do understand folks who just swear off bourgeois democracy altogether. I'm not under any pretense that we're going to solve anything systemic by voting for a judge, but maybe I can help keep some kids outta jail and some cops in jail. It's the little things.

        • gay_king_prince_charles [she/her, he/him]
          ·
          3 days ago

          the person who is jailing cops instead of the person jailing kids.

          You don't get to be considered to be a judge in the US if you're jailing cops and not kids. This "good judge" persona is liberal nonsense that exists only in your head and the minds of liberals.

          • Infamousblt [any]
            ·
            3 days ago

            Where did I say they were good? Did you even read anything I said? Wanna try again?

            • gay_king_prince_charles [she/her, he/him]
              ·
              3 days ago

              I'd rather the person who is jailing cops instead of the person jailing kids

              This aforementioned person you are talking about. They don't exist and looking for them is a liberal version of tilting at windmills.

              • Infamousblt [any]
                ·
                3 days ago

                They literally do exist and I explained how I know that already. Again real confused about how you got here but okay, go off I guess