Justice at any price
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Source: The Birmingham News
Date: 07/23/2008
Editorial argues that "Alabama is generous with
what it spends to elect judges," but "stingy with poor defendants who need
legal representation." Known "for its outrageously expensive court races"
funded by individuals or groups usually having "an interest in judicial rulings,"
Mark White, president of the Alabama State Bar, said that justice is for sale in
Alabama while it "ranks behind every other state" in providing legal services
to the poor. Editorial argues that
"while there has always been an argument about whether the special-interest
money actually affects justice or merely appears to, there can be no argument"
that "poor people who can't get proper legal services aren't going to get justice
in our civil courts." White has announced that he plans to push both "for
nonpartisan judicial elections" and the work of "a commission trying to come up
with ways to provide more funding for indigent legal services."
Article can be accessed through Gavel Grab: http://www.gavelgrab.org/?p=422